Hello friends and happy Wednesday! I hope you’re all having a good week so far. Today I’m going to be posting my review of Viet Thanh Nguyen’s novel The Refugees.

The Refugees by: Viet Thanh Nguyen: This is a collection of short stories about people who have moved away from their home country and began a new life in a new country, mainly leaving Vietnam for America and how they balance the two cultures. From first moving to a country to being first generation in a country with immigrant parents and everything in between, this collection captures a lot. There was a good deal to explore and unpack in these short stories. Nguyen just gives a taste of these cultural moments for his reader and they all pack a punch for different reasons. These were remarkable narratives; some held the reader’s attention more than others, but the writing was really captivating and engrossing and the pacing was good throughout. Even if the reader didn’t have a direct experience to any of the stories, they could still appreciate each one, listen and learn from them. There were times a story would be relatable in a different way, which held the reader’s interest even more. All of the characters, no matter the story, felt genuine and real. They all had distinct personalities that were memorable, which was great to accomplish in such a short time, but Nguyen really pulled it off. This was a quick read; the stories were good, refreshing and gave a voice to people who have immigrated to a new country in any sort of capacity.