There was a purity and flexibility to an unnamed character. When we encounter people with particular names, like the first Susan we ever know, then every Susan we meet after that will always compare to that first. Some characters are so brilliant I’m afraid to name them because it would take something away. In some cases, the main character isn’t named at all. There seemed to be a distance between your characters and the narrator. With Chick-A-Chee!, I really wanted the children, when someone tries to correct their pronunciation of “trick-or-treating,” to say, “No, Missus Furman, we went chick-a-chee!” I also like stories about children who fight back. And I just wondered, “What is making someone laugh at this hour of the night in this way?” and I built a story around that. Unsentimental yet tender, and fiercely alive, How to Pronounce Knife announces Souvankham Thammavongsa as one of the most striking voices of her generation.Were there other places where you drew inspiration?įor Edge of the World, I had heard a laughter in the air vent one night. And in the Commonwealth Short Story Prize shortlisted title story, a young girl’s unconditional love for her father transcends language. A school bus driver must grapple with how much he’s willing to give up in order to belong. An older woman finds her assumptions about the limits of love unravelling when she begins a relationship with her much younger neighbour. A boxer finds an unexpected chance at redemption while working at his sister’s nail salon. As one of Thammavongsa’s characters says, “All we wanted was to live.” And in these stories, they do-brightly, ferociously, unforgettably.Ī daughter becomes an unwilling accomplice in her mother’s growing infatuation with country singer Randy Travis. In spare, intimate prose charged with emotional power and a sly wit, she paints an indelible portrait of watchful children, wounded men, and restless women caught between cultures, languages, and values.
Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa focuses on characters struggling to make a living, illuminating their hopes, disappointments, love affairs, acts of defiance, and above all their pursuit of a place to belong. In her stunning debut book of fiction, O. A housewife learning English from daytime soap operas. A father who packs furniture to move into homes he’ll never afford. Little, Brown, 26 (192p) ISBN 978-3-0 Poet Thammavongsa ( Cluster) makes her fiction debut with this sharp and elegant collection that.
A woman plucking feathers at a chicken processing plant. How to Pronounce Knife Souvankham Thammavongsa. Its also a reminder of our shared humanity at a time when we need it most. How To Pronounce Knife by Souvankham ThammavongsaĪ young man painting nails at the local salon. How to Pronounce Knife is a wonderful fiction debut that proves to be a perfect showcase for Thammavongsas skill with language and her abundant compassion.
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