I recently read a book club novel, The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen, that I struggled to finish. There are many wonderful things about this Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The topic, the Vietnam War, is definitely an important part of US history. I also love that the novel is told from the perspective of a North Vietnamese spy embedded in South Vietnam. What a unique point of view. Further, the author, who was born in Vietnam and immigrated to the United States during the 1970s, knew his subject intimately. This was clear. But for me, the author’s dense writing style, which consisted of ten-page paragraphs of narration and no dialogue quotes, challenged me.

I thought my issues with the book could be a me thing, but when I read the reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, I noted that many other readers shared my opinion. About half appreciated the book’s important message and historical significance but, like me, found the writing arduous. As I mentioned, this novel has won many prestigious awards, eight to be exact. As someone who has worked hard to write stories that readers can read easily, as you might imagine, after reading The Sympathizer, I was thrown.

In critique groups and at conferences, writers are told to make the writing experience as enjoyable as possible for readers. Our goal is never to do anything that might pull the reader out of the story. We’re told to cut extraneous words, to use proper punctuation and grammar, to use a mix of scene and summary, and to be aware of pacing. We get critiqued, use beta readers, and hire development and line editors even before submitting to agents and editors. So, what gives? Why was this book deemed great when the author seemed to ignore these standard practices?

I hoped the librarian running my book club meeting would have some answers. She didn’t. The truth is, I didn’t ask her point blank. But what I did learn was that ninety percent of the attendees couldn’t finish the novel and that the librarian relied on the audiobook and the HBO mini-series to prepare for our meeting because the complexity of the author’s writing style frustrated her. Yet, she and my fellow book club members all believed The Sympathizer was great. Me, I was still on the fence about this.

When I returned home from the library, still confused, I googled ‘What makes a novel great?’ Articles and AI responses popped onto my screen. Most said that a book is great if readers can connect emotionally to the characters and story. They said that great books make a reader feel seen. And that great books either inspire, thrill or devastate readers. That great books make us think, learn, and grow.

So, do I think a book can’t be great if it’s difficult to read? No. But if I have the skill to write a great book that doesn’t feel like homework or a chore to read, then I’m going to do it. I figure I’ll reach more people this way. After all, an author’s writing style doesn’t need to be insanely complex to convey a great story. As Leonardo De Vini said, “Simplicity is the ultimate of sophistication.” Don’t forget, in 1953, Ernest Hemingway, the Godfather of concise, clear prose, won a Pulitzer for his novel The Old Man and the Sea.

Have you read The Sympathizer? What did you think about the author’s writing style? What do you think makes a book great? Do you think readability should be factored in when determining great literature?

Thanks for reading my post! Feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear from you!