The Refugees

By: Viet Thanh Nguyen

Narrated by: Viet Thanh Nguyen

Length: 5 hrs and 5 mins

Publisher's summary

Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Sympathizer was one of the most widely and highly praised novels of 2015, the winner not only of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, but also the Center for Fiction Debut Novel Prize, the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, the ALA Carnegie Medal for Fiction, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature, and the California Book Award for First Fiction. Nguyen's next fiction book, The Refugees, is a collection of perfectly formed stories written over a period of 20 years, exploring questions of immigration, identity, love, and family.

With the coruscating gaze that informed The Sympathizer, in The Refugees Viet Thanh Nguyen gives voice to lives led between two worlds, the adopted homeland and the country of birth. 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.

©2017 Viet Thanh Nguyen (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Nguyen's gentle and expressive voice contains an authenticity of emotion along with impeccable timing and perfect pronunciation.” ( AudioFile)

Majestic writing

Captivating stories that grasped my attention from the beginning to the end. This is the second book that I have listened from this author and again I am impressed with his writing style.

Remarkable and unforgettable

I bought this as a Daily Deal or other sale, with no idea about the author. I don't even care for short stories but these blew me away. I couldn't stop listening. The characters were so well developed I could see them as if looking at a photo but felt as though I was in each scene, embodying the characters. They had the mark of all great fiction. Each story was rooted in some aspect of the Vietnamese American experience, so I had access to an unknown culture. And yet each spoke to the universal bitter sweetness of being human, poignant stories of dreams dashed and realized , love and loss, the wreckage of human failure. So beautifully read by the author . Couldn't recommend this more highly. In fact this is the only review I've ever written! Can't wait to read his Pulitzer Prize winning novel.

Good collection of short stories

After reading his award-winning The Sympathizer, I wanted to follow it up by looking at some more stories from Viet Thanh Nguyen. The Refugees is a collection of eight or nine stories that saw original publication in order sources. After the success of The Sympathizer, his publisher brought these works together into this collection. All the stories feature Vietnamese characters and are set either in America as immigrant tales, or in Vietnam, as is the case with the last story of the collection featuring a father who receives a visit from a daughter who has "made it big" in the states as a pediatrician. Themes such as aging, young love, regret, and deceit work strongly throughout the collection. All of the stories are excellent and help to illuminate the lives of Vietnamese immigrants.

The author narrates the collection himself, and as is often the case with such things (SEE "The Lovely Bones," as an example) the results are good, but not great. Great narration is an art in itself, and sometimes the best idea is to bring in a hired gun for the job.

a book of short stories

I didn't realize this was a book of short stories. at first this made it some what disjointed for me to listen to, expecting characters to reappear somewhere. I also found the first few stories less likable than the ones toward the end. Overall interesting glimpses into various lives, the author is able to help you understand the frustration, confusion and lack of support of a refugee.

Satisfying stories that could be filmed

I thought provoking stories offering as many perspectives. Great character development well written. Satisfying stories

Interesting vignettes

I find it preferable when an author narrates autobiographical stories, as in this case. Left me wanting more.

enjoyed

forgot these were short stories and was a bit confused at first. but they are good short stories. the author is a very good narrator.

Short stories and I enjoyed them all

This book was a breath of fresh air in the way the ages-old stale air becomes fresh all the sudden but still carries the faint odor of the olden days. The stories were well put together and well performed. I

Short Story Collection

I listened to these short stories on audio, and while they were well written and entertaining, I wasn't completely enamored with them. For some reason, I wasn't able to fully engage with the characters and some of the endings seemed a bit abrupt.

A few good stories, but....

It seems like there could have been so many more stories, even some that were easier to follow than those in this book.