The Sympathizer Book Review

Book title: The Sympathizer

Author: Viet Thanh Nguyen

A half-French, half-Vietnamese unnamed communist double agent narrates his life from

Vietnam to Los Angeles in Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer. The narrator’s

communist identity is revealed to the reader at the time of the fall of Saigon, during

which the narrator serves as aide and trusted member of the General’s inner circle.

Simultaneously, he uses his role to observe the activity of and gain information on the

Special Branch in America, at a time when despite the Vietnam war having just come to

an end, the battle to eradicate communist presence in Vietnam continued.

The narrator evacuates Saigon to relocate to Los Angeles with the General and his best

friend Bon, whose wife and child tragically died in their attempt to escape. However, the

narrator continues to converse via invisible ink letters to Man, whom he refers to as his

“handler” early on in the book. The narrator is a spy for the North Vietnamese, and Man

is also a communist who remained in Vietnam working for the North Vietnamese.

The General seemingly adjusts to life in America, opening a liquor store while

continuing to use his contacts long distance to fight against the North Vietnamese.

However, fear overtakes the narrator when the General informs him he suspects a spy

among them. The narrator claims it’s “the crapulent major”, the discriminatory General

agrees, and, although regretting having accused the major, the narrator and Bon devise

a plan, and shoot him in the head.

Verdict: The winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, The Sympathizer is a thrilling

account of mystery and betrayal in the historical context of the communist fight in post war Vietnam. As the narrator is caught between two distinct identities, the novel explores the threat and intricacies of those identities, while highlighting the effect of the American presence in Vietnam.

Reviewed by: Caroline Rispoli'20