The Sympathizer
Reading the sympathizer I see that he has taking a new approach in writing by not adding ” ” to indicate that some one is talking . Which had confused me for a while because I was not quick on noticing it and thought it was just a book with no talking. The narrator of the book begins to where he is an aid to the General, but he is not just an aid in the Generals inner circle but a SPY!! DUNDUNDUNNNNNN!!!!! I thought it was going to be another boring school book but it turns out to have a lot more life to it compared to all the others (sorry).
Honestly I personally think it would be better as a comic book.
(click the gifs.. they work…)
4 responses so far
Yeah, I agree with you, this is the first book I’ve read where the author leaves out quotations. By leaving them out I feel that the author is trying to show that all these people are on the same side. With the narrator being a spy I feel that he is cursed by constantly being subjected to both sides that he is working for. Which in a way reminds me of Professor X from X-men on both sides of the mutants and the humans. So if this was a comic I think it would be amazing and in twenty years hopefully turned into a movie.
Hello!
I do agree with you that The Sympathizer is a very interesting novel as well as all others that we have read throughout the semester. As you mentioned, what makes it unique is a confession-like style of writing. Reader realizes that it is someone talking to somebody from the second paragraph on page 1, in which the narrator actually refers to the Commandant, “… well, “peace” is not the right word, is it, my dear Commandant?” The tone of the narrator is mocking. By calling Commandant “my dear” he exaggerates his respect and subordination. This is where the reader can predict that the narrator will disclose all of the secrets that he gathered.
The opening line of the novel also immediately reminds me the opening line from Moby-Dick “Call me Ishmael.” The character introduces himself just like in The Sympathizer “I am a Spy,” and in the Invisible Man “I am an invisible man.”
I am not sure how this book would look in a comic book style, but having read about Famine in Ukraine in a comic book (The Holodomor; The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death Under Soviet Rule by Igort) I can see how it might be possible.
When I first began to read this book I also felt slightly oblivious to the writing approach. To be honest it actually took me quiet a few pages to not only notice it, but adjust to it as well. I do hold an apposing view with regards to your comment about how much life and how interesting the book is. I really can’t pinpoint the exact reason for my dislike of the book, but I personally can’t seem to get into the story line and enjoy reading it.
It wasn’t clear to me who he was addressing at the start of the book either, but personally this story pulled me in way harder than the rest of them we’ve read so far. I love the conversational style the author uses to write the story, which might just be a bias thing for me because I have a habit of doing the same thing. It made the story so much more personal and pulled me in as if I was watching the whole thing unfold before my very eyes. I don’t know about comic book but I would love to see some great director turn this into a movie.