Viet Thanh Nguyen discusses 'The Refugees'

The Seattle Public Library - Author Readings and Library Events

Diverse in scope but united by a perspective that may be familiar to readers of "The Sympathizer," "The Refugees" by Viet Thanh Nguyen gives voice to lives led between two worlds, the adopted homeland and the country of birth, of scattered families, and people making life-changing decisions. From a young Vietnamese refugee who suffers profound culture shock when he comes to live with two gay men in San Francisco, to a woman whose husband is suffering from dementia and starts to confuse her for a former lover, to a girl living in Ho Chi Minh City whose older half sister comes back from America having seemingly accomplished everything she never will, the stories are a captivating testament to the dreams and hardships of immigration. The second piece of fiction by a major new voice in American letters, "The Refugees" is a beautifully written and sharply observed book about the aspirations of those who leave one country for another, and the relationships and desires for self-fulfillment that define our lives.Viet Thanh Nguyen was born in Vietnam and raised in America. He is the author of the bestselling and award-winning novel The Sympathizer. He is also the author of the nonfiction books Nothing Ever Dies and Race and Resistance. He is a Critic-At-Large for the Los Angeles Times and teaches English and American Studies and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and lives in Los Angeles.