A Man With Two Faces (2022) by Viet Thanh Nguyen

 Book Review

A Man With Two Faces (2023)

by Viet Thanh Nguyen

   I was late to The Sympathizer (2015), which was Nguyen's debut novel AND the 2016 Pulitzer Prize winner.  I didn't actually read it until 2021, just after its sequel, The Committed, was released.  Unsurprisingly I loved The Sympathizer- which is like, the perfect work of literary fiction- combining an interesting point of view (Vietnamese immigrants in Southern California) with an interesting plot (immigrant sent to spy on anti-Vietnamese government activists) and plenty of action, set pieces and dynamic plot mechanics.  You put all those elements together and you have a winner!

  Similarly with the The Committed, which is just as good as The Sympathizer, which is rare/unheard of for a sequel in the world of literary fiction.  But what, one might reasonably ask, does Viet Thanh Nguyen REALLY think about the immigrant experience in America?  A Man With Two Faces is his answer to that question- containing the kinds of truths that only Pulitzer Prize/MacArthur Genius grant winning types get to share over the platform of a major publishing house.   Unfortunately, Nguyen's publicity campaign was derailed by his pre and post 10/7 support of the Palestinian people.  As a supporter of Israel and a Jew, I have to say I didn't find anything offense in his comments, revolving around the general issues with bombing children and abject treatment of the non-Hamas Palestinian people. I mean, don't we all kinda feel that way?  Not, I guess, the people who book literary appearances. 

  A Man With Two Faces is what you call real talk- Nguyen coming to terms with his complicated relationship with his immigrant parents and the white supremacy he believes lurks in the heart of the American Dream.  Nguyen is only a few years older than me and he also grew up in the Bay Area, which is not considered to be a racist part of the US, but, as Nguyen and other writers have shown, can be just as racist as the rest of the US and often in shockingly casual fashion. 

   I found A Man With Two Faces to be a thought-provoking read, certainly not as fun as his two novels, but a great book for those grappling with the role or racism in American society.