There is a certain melancholy in Viet Thanh Nguyen’s “The Refugees” – which probably isn’t that surprising, given its subject matter. More than that, a blend of melancholy and nostalgia.
The lead characters in this collection of short stories all face into the dilemma that comes from the juxtaposition of the American and the Vietnamese, of a past life and a present or future one.
I found the stories well-written and modest – but modest in a good way. Thinking about it, there are echoes of “Dubliners” in here too…
Ian Gouge - Writer 