The Sympathizer
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Grove/Atlantic
April 7, 2015
A profound, startling, and beautifully crafted debut novel, The Sympathizer is the story of a man of two minds, someone whose political beliefs clash with his individual loyalties. In dialogue with but diametrically opposed to the narratives of the Vietnam War that have preceded it, this novel offers an important and unfamiliar new perspective on the war: that of a conflicted communist sympathizer.
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. Viet Thanh Nguyen’s astonishing novel takes us inside the mind of this double agent, a man whose lofty ideals necessitate his betrayal of the people closest to him. 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.
For a complete list of foreign sales, please refer to our rights guide.
Praise for The Sympathizer
“A cerebral thriller [wrapped] around a desperate expat story that confronts the existential
dilemmas of our age. Startlingly insightful and perilously candid.”
— The Washington Post
“This tragicomic novel reaches beyond its historical context to illuminate...universal
themes. Nguyen’s skill...compares favorably with masters like Conrad, Greene and le Carre.”
— New York Times Book Review
“A closely written novel....Both chilling and funny, and a worthy addition
to the library of first-rate novels about the Vietnam War.”
— Kirkus, starred review
“Between plot peaks, Nguyen roams wildly, the better to explore many fascinating tangents.
Nguyen’s prose is often like a feverish, frenzied dream, a profuse and lively stream of images
sparking off the page...this remarkable, rollicking read by a Vietnamese immigrant
heralds an exciting new voice in American literature.”
— The Seattle Times
“The great achievement of The Sympathizer is that it gives the Vietnamese a voice and demands
that we pay attention ... There are so many passages to admire. Mr. Nguyen is a master of the
telling ironic phrase and the biting detail, and the book pulses with Catch-22-style absurdities”
— The New York Times
“Nguyen’s novel enlivens debate about history and human
nature... [with] a poignant, often mirthful voice.”
— Publisher's Weekly, Starred Review