Year 13, Book 38

38. The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen

This book takes place after the end of the Vietnam War. A captain from the South Vietnamese army recounts his experiences in America and his dual role as a spy for the Viet Cong. I did not connect with this book at all. I felt like it was more a series of vignettes than a cohesive story. There didn’t seem to be much of a plot which is fine if the book is a character driven story, but it didn’t really seem to be that either. The only reason I even finished this book was because I was reading it for my book club. Despite not liking it I will say that it led to a rich discussion. I give it a 3 out of 10.