St. James Book Club: The Sympathizer, 4/5/17

We had a great discussion of Americanah on March 8. Many thanks to those who could join us! One note, which might not have come up when all were present–you might find Chris Rock’s movie, “Good Hair“, an interesting tangent to explore.Our next selection, to be discussed on Wed., April 5, is The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen. Amazon describes the book thusly:

“The winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, as well as six other awards, The Sympathizer is the breakthrough novel of the year. With the pace and suspense of a thriller and prose that has been compared to Graham Greene and Saul Bellow, The Sympathizer is a sweeping epic of love and betrayal. The narrator, a communist double agent, is a “man of two minds,” a half-French, half-Vietnamese army captain who arranges to come to America after the Fall of Saigon, and while building a new life with other Vietnamese refugees in Los Angeles is secretly reporting back to his communist superiors in Vietnam. The Sympathizer is a blistering exploration of identity and America, a gripping espionage novel, and a powerful story of love and friendship.”As always, you can borrow this book (typically available in several formats) from your local library (or follow this local library link), or purchase it from your local independent book store or on-line from places such as Amazon, where it is available in 18 different formats and editions.

Hope to see you next month! Look for us through the courtyard door on Clarendon.