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The Sympathizer

Now a Sky Exclusive limited series on Sky
By Viet Thanh Nguyen
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Check link for latest rating. ( 134,467 ratings, 13,996 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen is a gripping tale that follows a half-French, half-Vietnamese double agent during the Vietnam War. The protagonist, loyal to both a Communist spy organization and his South Vietnamese friends, grapples with conflicting identities and allegiances. Set against the backdrop of war and its aftermath, the novel explores themes of divided loyalties, identity, and the personal costs of espionage.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

If you enjoy tales of espionage and political intrigue, set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, you might find this book captivating. It offers a compelling narrative about identity, betrayal, and the complexities of dual loyalty, all woven into a tense, thrilling plot. The book is as much a historical reflection as it is a gripping story, promising an insightful read.

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A profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, The Sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, offering a unique perspective on the Vietnam war. Destined to become a modern classic

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2016

It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be given passage aboard the last flights out of the country. The general and his compatriots start a new life in Los Angeles, unaware that one among their number, the captain, is secretly observing and reporting on the group to a higher-up in the Viet Cong.

The Sympathizer is the story of this captain: a man brought up by an absent French father and a poor Vietnamese mother, a man who went to university in America, but returned to Vietnam to fight for the Communist cause.

A gripping spy novel, an astute exploration of extreme politics, and a moving love story, The Sympathizer explores a life between two worlds and examines the legacy of the Vietnam War in literature, film, and the wars we fight today.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen is praised as a remarkable debut novel that provides a distinct perspective on the Vietnam War and its aftermath. Reviewers highlight its unique approach to filling a gap in literature by giving voice to previously unheard narratives. The book combines elements of thriller and social satire, featuring a memorable nameless protagonist who is an undercover communist agent. Set during the fall of Saigon, it explores themes of political conflict, identity, and the duality of human nature. The novel is celebrated for its depth, authenticity, and universal themes, making it a notable contribution to both historical and literary discourse.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781472151360

Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 21 April 2016

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Corsair

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 33.0mm

Width: 131.0mm

Height: 199.0mm

Weight: 397g

Pages: 384

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About the Author

Viet Thanh Nguyen is the author of the short story collection The Refugees and the novel The Sympathizer. The Sympathizer is a New York Times best seller and won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Other honors include the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the Edgar Award for Best First Novel from the Mystery Writers of America, the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction from the American Library Association, the First Novel Prize from the Center for Fiction, a Gold Medal in First Fiction from the California Book Awards, and the Asian/Pacific American Literature Award from the Asian/Pacific American Librarian Association. His other books are Nothing Ever Dies: Vietnam and the Memory of War (a finalist for the National Book Award in nonfiction) and Race and Resistance: Literature and Politics in Asian America. He is the Aerol Arnold Chair of English and Professor of American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California.

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    From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Sympathizer (now an HBO series) comes a moving and unflinchingly personal meditation on the literary forms of otherness and a bold call for expansive political solidarity. Born in war-ravaged Vietnam, Viet Nguyen arrived in the United States as a child refugee in 1975. The Nguyen family would soon move to San Jose, California,...
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  • Nothing Ever Dies
    Finalist, National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, National Book Award in Nonfiction A New York Times Book Review "The Year in Reading" Selection All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory. From the author of the Pulitzer Prize–winning novel The Sympathizer comes a searching exploration of the conflict Americans call the Vietnam...
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    In The Refugees, Viet Thanh Nguyen gives voice to lives led between two worlds, the adopted homeland and the country of birth. From a young Vietnamese refugee who suffers profound culture shock when he comes to live with two gay men in San Francisco, to a woman whose husband is suffering from dementia and starts to confuse her for a...
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  • A Man of Two Faces
    'A triumphant memoir' Cathy Park Hong, author of MINOR FEELINGS, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize The highly original, blistering, and unconventional memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer, which has now sold over one million copies worldwide. With insight, humour, formal invention, and lyricism, in A Man of Two Faces, Nguyen rewinds the film of his own life....
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    SHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 2024 'A triumphant memoir' Cathy Park Hong, author of MINOR FEELINGS, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize The highly original, blistering, and unconventional memoir by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sympathizer, which has now sold over one million copies worldwide. With insight, humour, formal invention, and lyricism, in A Man of Two...
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