Afterparties - Stories by Anthony So - Book Review
Afterparties is a collection of stories by Cambodian-American author Anthony So, who passed away unexpectedly last year at the age of 28. The stories are novel in that they are about Cambodian-American life, something that had not yet been published in the New Yorker , and cool to read as an immigrant and a Cambodian-American myself. I felt an ability to relate but also a sense of uncomfortable-ness as he touched topics such as reincarnation, the Khmer Rouge, and even gay threesomes. TL/DR: Read Afterparties for insight into the perspective of a gay, Californian Cambodian-American's imaginings of Cambodian/immigrant/family life. Sort of like the story of So, whose life got cut short, these stories just provide a snippet into the Cambodian-American perspective, and I was left wanting more of an emotional connection to characters. There are nine stories are: Three Women of Chuck's Donuts Superking Son Scores Again Maly, Maly, Maly The Shop The Monks We Would've Been Princes