Comment

Jul 27, 2018RogerDeBlanck rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Nguyen follows up his instant classic The Sympathizer with an equally impressive collection of short stories in The Refugees. With heartrending and tender emotion, he captures the struggles and hopes of an unforgettable array of immigrant and native characters of Vietnamese heritage. Each finely-crafted piece carries a subtle power and beauty in the dignity and quiet resilience of the characters as they face the hardships of loss, regret, failure, and alienation in either their home country or their adopted America. Through the wounded memories and life-altering experiences of both courageous men and women, Nguyen generates great empathy for their individual plights. The revelations they encounter are touching and poignant, oftentimes packing a force that breaks your heart. The graceful texture of Nguyen’s language and the vividness of his images and details harness the near perfection of this volume. With his two stellar works of fiction, Nguyen has quickly and deservedly earned his claim among the giants of contemporary literature. I can hardly wait for his next project.