Afterparties – Anthony Veasna So

100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: [adapted from the dustjacket] Through nine stories, we learn about the Cambodian American experience. As the children of refugees carve out radical new paths for themselves in California, they shoulder the inherited weight of the Khmer Rouge genocide and grapple with the complexities of race, sexuality, friendship and family.

Expectation: The next great coming-of-age collection spotlighting an underrepresented group of people.

Reality: A tonally uneven collection that was not helped by a terrible audiobook narration.

Recommended For: Readers seeking diverse perspectives.

Why I Read It: It was highly recommended by a close friend.

My Take:

Now that “Afterparties” is starting to receive LGBTQIA literary awards, I was prepared to be wowed by this short story collection. Instead, it became my first DNF (did not finish) read of the year, with me calling it quits at 59 percent completed.

I gave this a valiant effort, finishing five out of the nine stories, but only two of them (“The Shop” and “Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts”) showed the full promise of what Anthony Veasna So tried to do here — presenting an unfiltered and complex look at life for Cambodian Americans.

So weaved Cambodian culture seamlessly into the narratives, presenting the ways in which American-born children are still bound by and respectful of their heritage while shirking it as well.

While not going into detail, there are many references to the 1970s Khmer Rouge genocide, which prompted families to leave the country and resettle in America where they have struggled on several fronts, including maintaining tradition while acclimating and finding success beyond the “Cambo” community. I did love how a different component of the Cambodian American experience was explored in each story, from religion and sexuality to family dynamics.

However, each story was also incredibly uneven. This is a heavy book, but I found the tone to be more sophomoric than serious, which made it difficult to connect with characters.

For example, it’s either genius or blasphemous to have a mutual masturbation session with a monk while mourning your father (“The Monks”). Is this how the character would cope or was it for shock value?

Finally, rarely does an audiobook ruin a story, but that’s what happened with the narration by Jason Sean. I appreciate that the publishers chose authenticity and cast Cambodian American talent, but it felt like Sean read each story cold.

To say the narration was distracting would be a terrible understatement. It was stilted, choppy and generally devoid of emotion. Every character was presented the same way, and the only difference was how fast or slow he would read. The most consistent element was his frequent pauses mid-sentence that weren’t for effect, rather it seemed like he lost his place in the text.

Given So’s untimely death before publication, I initially wondered if Sean was a close friend or significant other serving as So’s proxy, but, no, Sean is a professional actor and comedian who has narrated other audiobooks. Truthfully, I cannot believe this was released as is. It felt like a rough cut.

All that to say, if I were reading “Afterparties” and not listening to it, I probably would’ve gone to the end. While imperfect, So showed a lot of talent, and it is always refreshing to read and learn about underrepresented groups in the media.

If you’re going to pick this up, go in with tempered expectations and make sure you skip the audiobook.

Rating (story): 2/5 stars

Rating (narration): 1/5 stars

Formats: Audiobook (library loan)

Dates read: May 17 – May 20, 2022

Multi-tasking: Good to go, but you shouldn’t listen to this book.