THE COMMITTED

Cambodian-American actor François Chau seems to inhabit the anonymous narrator of this novel--a young man of Vietnamese and French parentage who flees Vietnam at the fall of Saigon and heads to California and France. Chau's narration is so stellar that the listener sees the action through the narrator's eyes, yet Chau's soft voice remains unobtrusive. The writing in this novel is wild and often hyperbolic, and Chau delivers it as we imagine the protagonist would speak the words. This is one of the signs of a gifted storyteller. Though this work is the sequel to THE SYMPATHIZER (the Pulitzer Prize winner in 2016), this audiobook can be listened to as a stand-alone work. Listeners who enjoy a compelling story that is narrated beautifully will find much to love. D.G.P. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2021]