How to Pronounce Knife
Books | Fiction / Literary
3.8
(150)
Souvankham Thammavongsa
WINNER OF THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE'Spellbinding' i'Breathtaking' Elle'Powerhouses of feeling and depth' Mary Gaitskill'Sharp and vital' Daisy Johnson'Excellent' Margaret Atwood on TwitterAn ex-boxer turned nail salon worker falls for a pair of immaculate hands; a mother and daughter harvest earthworms in the middle of the night; a country music-obsessed housewife abandons her family for fantasy; and a young girl's love for her father transcends language. In this stunning debut, Souvankham Thammavongsa captures the day-to-day lives of immigrants and refugees in a nameless city, illuminating hopes, disappointments, love affairs, and above all, the pursuit of a place to belong.'There is not a moment off in these affecting stories' Sheila Heti
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Author
Souvankham Thammavongsa
Pages
192
Publisher
Bloomsbury Publishing
Published Date
2020-04-16
ISBN
1526610469 9781526610461
Community ReviewsSee all
"The last story, Picking Worms, was my favorite, as is usually the case with short story collections. The rest were hit or miss, but even in the case of some of the ones I liked, I couldn't help but wish I could visually be reading the stories instead of relying on the audiobook (my library only carries the audiobook version 😭). A couple stories felt out of place in the group, and sometimes things felt a little too repetitive throughout the stories, as if the characters thoughts kept transitioning just with new names in front of them. I'm not sure if my rating would've gone up a lot with an e-book, because the stories I didn't care for, I might've liked even less.. 3/5🪱🇱🇦"
"A stunning collection of stories that richly detail the immigrant and refugee experience. Sometimes funny, sometimes heart breaking, and everything in between, we see a wide cast of characters navigating new surroundings, and struggling to keep afloat in a culture that is ever moving and often unforgiving. Highly recommended. "
"5/5 stars! The short stories in this book are so real..the characters are definitely the people you walk by in the grocery store or the people you lock eyes with as you cross the street. The author is excellent at delivering slices of life from an immigrant perspective. Although I am not from Laos, my parents are immigrants and I absolutely related to many of the struggles highlighted in the stories. Every story had a deeper emotional theme but the voice was light curious and innocent. "
"The stories are very short vignettes featuring Lao refugees/immigrants living in Canada. Most of the characters are interesting and feel like real people but the stories don't really have a structure, they just depict a moment. Sometimes it felt like I was just getting to know a character and the story ended."
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awesome_user_984860
"I hit recommend by accident - meant to save! 😂 have your read it? Is it good? 😊"
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Steph Penney
"Great!<br/><br/>I don't read collections of short stories often but have seen this cover floating around lots so decided to give it a try. I loved these stories, they felt so real and raw, like accounts from a persons life rather than creative thoughts from a persons brain. I loved being part of these families and these struggles, it was really interesting to me to get a glimpse into the lives of immigrants, mostly second generation, learning how to connect with people. The people who raise them and the people who they are becoming a part of. <br/><br/>My own personal reading journey always tried to connect short stories. It is challenging for me to flip the page and transfer into a whole other life and background and future without trying to connect the dots. While this was challenging for me, I also really loved the snippet of life that I got in each story. It felt like meeting real people, when you just get to know one vital piece of them and are left curious, wanting to know more. Each story got me excited for the next one, the book left me feeling full of experiences, heartbreaks, traumas, celebrations and a sense of pride. Of what my "friends" had overcome. <br/><br/>I loved the connection this book brought me."
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Caitlin Betcher