How to Pronounce Knife is a well written short story collection offering readers a peak into Laos immigrants and their children, living in the US. It offers a clear look at racism and inequality, as well as the differences in experiences between folks based off their skill in speaking English and how long they've been in the US for. The stories outline people doing what they can to create space for themselves even in a social structure that often pushes back at them for being different. They were interesting stories that definitely connected you to the characters, but it does remind me of why I have a difficult time with short stories - I want to know more! I sometimes feel like there's more to know and learn but the story cuts itself short. I did enjoy the book overall, it was a great read, even as a quick one. It shines a light on a group of people that are not widely represented in fiction or non fiction work alike.

Short stories are hit or miss for me. This Giller prize winning collection was generally a hit. Many of Thammavongsa's stories are thematically connected: young people growing up in families with complicated under currents, feeling alienated in the greater world. There is some humour and whimsy, but mostly a melancholy sense of alienation. The writing is simple, but with depth of feeling. This collection is short and well worth reading. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

I've always been pretty ambivalent towards short story collections, and unfortunately, HOW TO PRONOUNCE KNIFE reaffirms this ambivalence in me! Written by Canadian poet Souvankham Thammavongsa, HOW TO PRONOUNCE KNIFE is a short story collection about Lao immigrants. Most of the stories detail the hardship that these immigrants and refugees face when trying to build a new life in a new country. Family is a central theme in many of the stories as well, especially the cultural divide that exists between immigrants and their children.
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While this short story collection wasn't for me, I don't want to discourage anyone from reading this book. I appreciated that a Lao-Canadian wrote a book about Lao immigrants; it's definitely a perspective that hasn't been explored in literature much. The lack of understanding or even awareness of Laos is occasionally mentioned in various stories - a secret war, an unknown refugee crisis ... There's a lot that I don't know about Laos and I'd like to read a book that more explicitly details Laotian history and culture.
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Another thing that I appreciated about this book was that it caused me to confront my privilege. I've realized recently that I have immense privilege as a person of East Asian descent, especially having grown up in a town where Chinese people are a dominant group. While reading the first few stories in this collection, I found myself thinking that the narrative of a poor immigrant who struggles to survive in a Western country was overdone; for some reason, it wasn't what I was expecting when I chose to read this book. HOW TO PRONOUNCE KNIFE helped me realize that not everyone has the fairy tale immigrant experience that my family was so lucky to have, and that immigration experiences, even those from the same continent, can be diverse and varied. Reading reviews and interviews with the author also helped me to see that the stories of refugees simply existing in their new environments (with or without "succeeding" in the new country) highlight their inherent resilience, which is something that any reader can appreciate.

I quite enjoyed this short story collection, though it's not what I'd call a fun read. It's a bleak read, but not without its moments of humor and light. These stories, about Lao refugees living in unnamed North American cities, contain quiet, spare prose that is at times lyrical, powerful, and moving; we experience the racism, the classism, the misogyny along with the characters, we feel their yearning for a better life, to be loved, to be seen. The author's ability to capture small moments and make you feel them deep inside yourself is remarkable, and those moments stick with you. There aren't happy endings here- in fact, some stories don't have what feels like an ending, a resolution, at all, but each story gives you a taste of that character's life, and gives you insight into your own at the same time. As with any story collection, I liked some stories better than others, but my level of enjoyment was pretty consistent, and there weren't any stories I didn't like. A good read for when you feel a bit adrift, not because it will moor you, but because it will make you feel less alone on the waters.

#HowtoPronounceKnife #NetGalley

How to pronounce Knife provides a view into the life of Laotian refugees. In 14 vignettes, author Souvankham Thmmavongsa"s characters undertake the "grunt work of the world", taking on jobs in poultry plants, on hog farms and in nail salons. The title comes from a story a young girl, learning to read, struggling with the pronunciation of the word knife.

The author"s family fled Vietnam for Toronto, so Souvankham is familiar with feeling like an outsider, unseen, invisible. Her stories are timely not only because they describe the life of refugees, but also, her stories bring forward those people working on the front line (farms and processing plants), and, without them, our food would never reach our grocery shelf.

Thank you @netgalley for my complimentary copy of #howtopronounceknife, in return for my honest review. I enjoyed reading it.

Margaret Atwood talked about this short story collection on a show I watched early on when the COVID 19 quarantine began. Atwood did not lead me astray. How to Pronounce Knife is one of the best short story collections I've ever read. The stories are about Laotian refugees and experiences they have while living in another country, learning the language and culture.

The writing style is very straight forward. I enjoyed all fourteen short stories; some more than others. Each one offered something. Some of them delightful and funny, others sad and tug at the heartstrings. Themes of struggle, frustration, misunderstandings, loneliness, poverty and hard work tie this collection together.

This is a fantastic debut and I think Souvankham Thammavongsa is a writer to watch out for.

Bookworm Rating: 🐛🐛🐛🐛🌱

Right from the beginning I was hooked. I connected with the stories of immigrants and the struggles they encounter. The children's perspective made the stories even better. I highly recommend it.

How to Pronounce Knife is an amazing collection of short stories written by Souvankham Thammavongsa. Most of the stories focus on the immigrant experience. The stories are about everyday people in a variety of occupations such as manicurists, school bus drivers and accountants.
I enjoyed all the stories. My favourite was the title story How to Pronounce Knife.

How to Pronounce Knife is a collection of 14 short stories featuring Laos immigrants. The stories are sparse, but well-written and impactful. I enjoyed each of them, with my favourites being “How to Pronounce Knife,” “Chick-A-Chee,” “A Far Distant Thing” and “Picking Worms.”

This... is.. everything. Wow. What a debut! I've devoured it in a matter of a day. The stories explored by Souvankham Thammavongsa are so beautiful, yet so poignant, and within a few pages can destroy you a little. Nonetheless, there is a wholesomeness to them, and they hold an inexplicable inherent notion that everything will be ok. An important rostrum for Lao immigrants, yes, yet the narrative contains something so universal; the human need to be loved and accepted. I'll definitely recommend this gem to everyone!

How to Pronounce Knife is a collection of short stories about South East Asian immigrants living in the Western world. It showcases many struggles that a lot of immigrants face in a whole new world. It's an interesting read, but there wasn't any particular one that really capture my attention.

Thanks so much to Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with an e-ARC of this via NetGalley!

Never am I more aware of how subjective my reviews really are than when I try to review a book like How to Pronounce Knife. Clearly the fact that my reviews represent my opinions and not some universal objective fact is not a groundbreaking discovery to make, but it's something that becomes especially salient to me when it comes to a book that I didn't enjoy for no other reason than: it just wasn't to my taste.

There is nothing egregiously wrong about How to Pronounce Knife, but there is also nothing about it that is particularly memorable or impressive. It's a perfectly fine collection of short stories with perfectly fine writing. Thematically, it focuses on how Asian immigrant identity, primarily Southeast Asian, interacts with and operates in family life, romantic relationships, and, more broadly, culture. It's a collection that reads very quickly, largely owing to its stripped-back, concise writing style and the brevity of its stories' length.

Though I can see other people enjoying its sparse and to-the-point writing, I unfortunately can't say that this a collection that will personally stick with me in any way.

Maybe the title is influencing me, but these are razor-sharp stories that are compact and removed of any filler. Sometimes they are so short I actually wanted to get to know the characters a little more, but it is hard to complain when the stories work so well.