Afterparties: Stories
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- Create Date：2021-07-21 02:31:19
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Anthony Veasna So
- ISBN：0063049902
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Summary
A debut story collection about Cambodian-American life—immersive and comic， yet unsparing—that marks the arrival of an indisputable new talent in American fiction
Seamlessly transitioning between the absurd and the tenderhearted， balancing acerbic humor with sharp emotional depth， Afterparties offers an expansive portrait of the lives of Cambodian-Americans。 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。
A high school badminton coach and failing grocery store owner tries to relive his glory days by beating a rising star teenage player。 Two drunken brothers attend a wedding afterparty and hatch a plan to expose their shady uncle’s snubbing of the bride and groom。 A queer love affair sparks between an older tech entrepreneur trying to launch a “safe space” app and a disillusioned young teacher obsessed with Moby-Dick。 And in the sweeping final story， a nine-year-old child learns that his mother survived a racist school shooter。
With nuanced emotional precision， gritty humor， and compassionate insight into the intimacy of queer and immigrant communities， the stories in Afterparties deliver an explosive introduction to the work of Anthony Veasna So。
Seamlessly transitioning between the absurd and the tenderhearted， balancing acerbic humor with sharp emotional depth， Afterparties offers an expansive portrait of the lives of Cambodian-Americans。 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。
A high school badminton coach and failing grocery store owner tries to relive his glory days by beating a rising star teenage player。 Two drunken brothers attend a wedding afterparty and hatch a plan to expose their shady uncle’s snubbing of the bride and groom。 A queer love affair sparks between an older tech entrepreneur trying to launch a “safe space” app and a disillusioned young teacher obsessed with Moby-Dick。 And in the sweeping final story， a nine-year-old child learns that his mother survived a racist school shooter。
With nuanced emotional precision， gritty humor， and compassionate insight into the intimacy of queer and immigrant communities， the stories in Afterparties deliver an explosive introduction to the work of Anthony Veasna So。
Reviews
Sacha
，
5 stars This collection is so compelling without a single weak link， and I love how the stories and characters connect in both overt and subtle ways。 Though the personas and scenarios differ in each work， there's a youthful quality to their decision making and their at times revelry in mistakes that I love。 That fearlessness and naivety never read as under developed or unrealistic。 The heft here comes from personal experience and identity， not from age， and this might be asserted about the chara 5 stars This collection is so compelling without a single weak link， and I love how the stories and characters connect in both overt and subtle ways。 Though the personas and scenarios differ in each work， there's a youthful quality to their decision making and their at times revelry in mistakes that I love。 That fearlessness and naivety never read as under developed or unrealistic。 The heft here comes from personal experience and identity， not from age， and this might be asserted about the characters and the writer。 The treatments of the immigrant experience， survival， trauma， queerness， and intersectional identity are profound and varied。 I particularly enjoy the juxtaposition of public and private throughout all of the entries。 This is a stunning compilation from a writer whose voice is unlike any other in the space at this time: a gift in the face of a loss to us all。 Wholeheartedly recommended -Special thanks to NetGalley and ECCO for the arc， which I received in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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An amazing collection about a seldom explored community- Cambodian immigrants to the US and their first generation children。 So captures not only the universal experiences of the second generation but also the niche issues of his culture。 And California。 Not every story works perfectly but they're big， they are vivid， and you can feel his passion。 It's incredibly sad that he did not live to see this collection published。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 I'm a short story fan who likes to read on An amazing collection about a seldom explored community- Cambodian immigrants to the US and their first generation children。 So captures not only the universal experiences of the second generation but also the niche issues of his culture。 And California。 Not every story works perfectly but they're big， they are vivid， and you can feel his passion。 It's incredibly sad that he did not live to see this collection published。 Thanks to Edelweiss for the ARC。 I'm a short story fan who likes to read one every day or so and this is perfect for that。 Highly recommend。 。。。more
Lara Farrell
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I really enjoyed this set of fairly long， sometimes interconnected short stories。 Despite having visited Cambodia a few years ago， I still learnt a lot about the details of the genocide that I didn’t know before - though all of the Camdodian-American characters here carry the burden of their parents’ and grandparents’ experiences， these stories are often very funny and more light-hearted than my description might makes them sound。 Recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC I really enjoyed this set of fairly long， sometimes interconnected short stories。 Despite having visited Cambodia a few years ago， I still learnt a lot about the details of the genocide that I didn’t know before - though all of the Camdodian-American characters here carry the burden of their parents’ and grandparents’ experiences， these stories are often very funny and more light-hearted than my description might makes them sound。 Recommended and thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC。 。。。more
Rachel
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The short stories in "Afterparties" by the late Anthony Veasna So unfold in California immigrant communities traumatized by the Cambodian genocide。 Young people try to get ahead and refuse to try to get ahead。 They cling to tradition or are repulsed by it。 They want the pleasure of sex， of drugs， of alcohol， even though those things have disappointed them before。 The characters pop up in different stories， compelling the reader to consider things from another angle over and over。 My favorite sto The short stories in "Afterparties" by the late Anthony Veasna So unfold in California immigrant communities traumatized by the Cambodian genocide。 Young people try to get ahead and refuse to try to get ahead。 They cling to tradition or are repulsed by it。 They want the pleasure of sex， of drugs， of alcohol， even though those things have disappointed them before。 The characters pop up in different stories， compelling the reader to consider things from another angle over and over。 My favorite story here is "Somaly Serey， Serey Somaly，" in which a young woman strains to live up to the expectations of her community （you're the reincarnation of another woman in our family！ be a nurse！ defer to your elders！ take special care of the Khmer patients！） while also facing her own physical and mental challenges。Note: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Andrea
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**I received an ARC of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。**I enjoyed this collection of short stories about Cambodian Americans。 This is my first exposure to any kind of media produced by or about Khmer Americans， so I had no idea what to expect going in。Though I didn’t realize this when I started reading， the stories all take place in the same community， with characters from one story popping up in other stories。 I really liked this approach， as it reinforced the feeling that escaping the **I received an ARC of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway。**I enjoyed this collection of short stories about Cambodian Americans。 This is my first exposure to any kind of media produced by or about Khmer Americans， so I had no idea what to expect going in。Though I didn’t realize this when I started reading， the stories all take place in the same community， with characters from one story popping up in other stories。 I really liked this approach， as it reinforced the feeling that escaping the horrors of the Khmer Rouge autogenocide （a word/concept I didn’t even know existed until， prompted by this book， I fell down a Wikipedia rabbit hole） binds Cambodian Americans together in a unique way。 Not all immigrants to America are fleeing a genocide that resulted in the death of 25%（！！！！） of their country’s population， and that shared trauma resonates throughout each one of these stories。 The stories are usually told from the perspective of first generation Khmer， which provided unique insight into how trauma is processed and passed down generationally — from feeling an obligation to have children so that your murdered relatives can be reincarnated in their bodies， to never being able to argue with your parents about anything， since they’ll play the trump card that “There were no ice cubes in the genocide！” （p。 9）。 My favorite stories were "The Shop"， "Maly Maly Maly"， "Human Development"， and "Somaly Serey， Serey Somaly"， which are all told in first person。 So writes these characters’ inner monologues with a meandering immediacy that resonates in a particularly Millennial way。 I share most other reviewers’ love for "The Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts" and "Superking Son Scores Again"， and especially appreciated the first-person plural point of view in the latter。 In my opinion， the weakest story is the final story， "Generational Differences" （which I feel bad about because in the acknowledgments the author states that it is based on his mother’s experiences）。 It seemed noticeably heavy-handed to me， and I felt that it lacked the nuanced complexity of the rest of the collection。 All in all， this collection is a skillfully executed， sarcastic， yet deeply tender paean to a resilient community struggling to process horrific trauma。 I highly recommend it。 。。。more
amber s
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I greatly enjoyed this collection of short stories by Anthony Veasna So。 Afterparties centers around the interconnected lives， and generational trauma and conflict within a community of Cambodian Americans。 From young adults in their 20s navigating life， social expectations and feelings of helplessness， to immigrants still dealing with the trauma of living through war， the characters in this collection are written with so much depth and affection。 Veasna So writes with a brilliant balance of hum I greatly enjoyed this collection of short stories by Anthony Veasna So。 Afterparties centers around the interconnected lives， and generational trauma and conflict within a community of Cambodian Americans。 From young adults in their 20s navigating life， social expectations and feelings of helplessness， to immigrants still dealing with the trauma of living through war， the characters in this collection are written with so much depth and affection。 Veasna So writes with a brilliant balance of humor， sensitivity， and heart that I found myself making note of many passages that absolutely floored me。 As someone of Southeast Asian heritage these stories feel alive and in some ways， very familiar， and I am grateful to have been able to read this author’s work。 Thank you to NetGalley and Ecco for the ARC。 。。。more
Francis M。 Torres
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Short stories about American Cambodian life， I loved it！！！ Each short story connects in a very small way， a mix between the young American Cambodians and their elders， and what they went through， the reasons why they all migrated to the states， it was very educational， but also humorous。 The younger Cambodians are going through the most， their parents expect the best from all of them it was so relatable。 Each and every character is going through their own struggles and I love how So was able to Short stories about American Cambodian life， I loved it！！！ Each short story connects in a very small way， a mix between the young American Cambodians and their elders， and what they went through， the reasons why they all migrated to the states， it was very educational， but also humorous。 The younger Cambodians are going through the most， their parents expect the best from all of them it was so relatable。 Each and every character is going through their own struggles and I love how So was able to create that for us。 I ended up finding out that Anthony Veasna So actually passed in 2020， it breaks my heart him being so young and with this book launching soon that he won’t be here to witness how his work will inspire others。 RIP。Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book。 。。。more
Alicia
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I was fortunate to get this book from NetGalley but unfortunately I had to stop at 61%。This book is short stories of how ethnic groups experience racism， classism， and other disapproving reactions by the color of their skin or what social class they are in。 Though this is interesting to read and to learn about different cultures， it wasn’t enough to keep my attention。 I found myself wanting to hurry and finish a story or merely skip a story and didn’t want to have to force myself to do that。Thou I was fortunate to get this book from NetGalley but unfortunately I had to stop at 61%。This book is short stories of how ethnic groups experience racism， classism， and other disapproving reactions by the color of their skin or what social class they are in。 Though this is interesting to read and to learn about different cultures， it wasn’t enough to keep my attention。 I found myself wanting to hurry and finish a story or merely skip a story and didn’t want to have to force myself to do that。Though this isn’t for me， I do feel people should read it。 It may bring clarity to the world we live in， insight on what others are experiencing， and a reflection to ourselves to see where we fit in the story。 。。。more
Allison
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This book was really beautiful， sad， but beautiful。 It’s made up of 9 short stories， each one relating a bit to the other ones and each one giving a bit more insight into the Khmer Rouge genocide and how the people survived and persevered。 I loved all of the characters in each story and wished that their stories were longer so I could sit with them for longer。 Definitely recommend reading this book
Angie
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This posthumously published collection of short stories centers around a community of Cambodian immigrants in California。 The immigrant experience， LGBTQ experience， and the legacy of Khmer Rouge are the subjects of several stories， but some are more playful and humorous in nature， too。 My favorite stories were "The Shop"， "Human Development"， and "Three Women of Chuck's Donuts。" This posthumously published collection of short stories centers around a community of Cambodian immigrants in California。 The immigrant experience， LGBTQ experience， and the legacy of Khmer Rouge are the subjects of several stories， but some are more playful and humorous in nature， too。 My favorite stories were "The Shop"， "Human Development"， and "Three Women of Chuck's Donuts。" 。。。more
Kimi Loughlin
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This was a moving collection of stories。 I really enjoyed each one and the individual character arcs。 My particular favorites were Generational Differences， Three Women of Chuck's Donuts， and Somaly Serey， Serey Somaly though looking back at the table of contents， each one had moments that I really was drawn to。 After seeing the death date in So's bio， a quick Google revealed their untimely death in 2020。 It made me really sad for numerous reasons especially the closeness of our ages and the sto This was a moving collection of stories。 I really enjoyed each one and the individual character arcs。 My particular favorites were Generational Differences， Three Women of Chuck's Donuts， and Somaly Serey， Serey Somaly though looking back at the table of contents， each one had moments that I really was drawn to。 After seeing the death date in So's bio， a quick Google revealed their untimely death in 2020。 It made me really sad for numerous reasons especially the closeness of our ages and the stolen possibility of future works。 I also wondered how many of these stories were autobiographical given the detail in So's bio and NYT obit。 I enjoyed that I saw threads of each story in the others （mentions of people that later turn up as characters etc） because it framed the Cambo community in all it's glory， both the good and the bad。 Overall， this was a gorgeous collection and I wish there was more to come from So。 Their unique voice sang throughout and really brought their characters to life。 。。。more
Siân Plummer （plumreads__s）
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Afterparties made me feel all emotions， laughter， joy， sadness， and many more。 It's a really poignant collection of stories that interlink with each other， predominantly about Cambodian Americans， individual identity， sexual orientation and more。 It's a fantastic debut， I only wish we could have more from So。 I definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to expand on their Own Voices reading。Thanks to NetGalley， Atlantic Books and Anthony Veasna So for an eArc copy in exchange for an honest review Afterparties made me feel all emotions， laughter， joy， sadness， and many more。 It's a really poignant collection of stories that interlink with each other， predominantly about Cambodian Americans， individual identity， sexual orientation and more。 It's a fantastic debut， I only wish we could have more from So。 I definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to expand on their Own Voices reading。Thanks to NetGalley， Atlantic Books and Anthony Veasna So for an eArc copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Trigger Warning Database
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Trigger & Content WarningsDomestic violence & abuseCheatingAlcohol consumptionRecreational drug useDeath of a parentSchool shootingStalking
lisa
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I was so sad to learn Anthony So died last year because I had become very intrigued by the short stories of his I kept coming across。 This will be his only book， and there is something haunting about reading his acknowledgements in the back of the book。 I loved several of these stories， especially Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts， especially the end。 Somaly Serey， Serey Somaly was also a favorite， but even the ones I didn’t love， I did admire。 There is very much a sense of central California， the h I was so sad to learn Anthony So died last year because I had become very intrigued by the short stories of his I kept coming across。 This will be his only book， and there is something haunting about reading his acknowledgements in the back of the book。 I loved several of these stories， especially Three Women of Chuck’s Donuts， especially the end。 Somaly Serey， Serey Somaly was also a favorite， but even the ones I didn’t love， I did admire。 There is very much a sense of central California， the heat and boredom， and long slow days to be filled only to end。 I also appreciated reading about contemporary Cambodian Americans， who have been affected by the trauma of their parents and grandparents。In the coming years this book will be held up as a moment in amber， a picture of our world circa early 21st century， in small town inner California。 。。。more
Nayeli
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Observant， edgy， and funny collection of stories with whip-smart， touching writing that holds back just enough to hint at an underlying ache without falling into pathos。A couple of samples:"Ma has been a psycho since the genocide。 It’s like， as longas they don’t overthrow a government and， you know， installa communist regime， they aren’t being total dicks。”“Visith is a good Khmer name，” she said。 “Not likeyou two， who do not have Khmer names at all。”“Fuck that shit！” Marlon shouted into their ea Observant， edgy， and funny collection of stories with whip-smart， touching writing that holds back just enough to hint at an underlying ache without falling into pathos。A couple of samples:"Ma has been a psycho since the genocide。 It’s like， as longas they don’t overthrow a government and， you know， installa communist regime， they aren’t being total dicks。”“Visith is a good Khmer name，” she said。 “Not likeyou two， who do not have Khmer names at all。”“Fuck that shit！” Marlon shouted into their ears。 “We’renamed after Marlon Brando and James fucking Bond！Which， in fact—the logic’s so Cambodian it hurts: nameyour kids after the first movies you saw after immigrating，and bam！” Marlon clapped his hands together， the soundlike thunder。 “American Dream achieved！” 。。。more
Steven Duong
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Stellar， funny， ugly， good。 “The Monks” remains my absolute favorite。
Natalie
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This short story collection runs the gamut; it's at times dark， melancholic， funny， bizarre。 It speaks to a generational trauma common to refugees yet also unique to Cambodians， and specifically those clustered together in Stockton， CA。 The tight Cambo community depicted in these stories， which feature crossover characters and landmarks， is portrayed at times as claustrophobic， especially to younger generations who witness the Pol Pot regime and its genocide through scars inflicted on their elde This short story collection runs the gamut; it's at times dark， melancholic， funny， bizarre。 It speaks to a generational trauma common to refugees yet also unique to Cambodians， and specifically those clustered together in Stockton， CA。 The tight Cambo community depicted in these stories， which feature crossover characters and landmarks， is portrayed at times as claustrophobic， especially to younger generations who witness the Pol Pot regime and its genocide through scars inflicted on their elders。 Yet especially in linked stories like "Maly， Maly， Maly" and "Somaley Serey， Serey Somaly，" you can see how that those intergenerational relationships are more complex than they initially appear。 And in stories like " We Would've Been Princes！" and "The Monks，" children are driven and inconvenienced by filial love for parents who have been damaged。 Several of the stories focus on the experiences of being young， gay， and Cambodian， grappling with being outsiders in an outsider community。Anthony Veasna So was clearly talented， and it's terribly sad that we will not be able to read more from him。 Hopefully， though， this collection will inspire more literary representations of Cambodian American experiences。 I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley for an honest review。 。。。more
Rebecca
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This was one of the best short story collections I’ve read in a long time。 I really enjoyed it and will look to buy a hard copy when it comes out later this year。 I was deeply saddened to hear of the author’s sudden passing last December; he clearly had such talent。 What strikes me most in Afterparties is the nuance and generosity of So’s characterizations， especially in his exploration of intergenerational immigrant family relationships。 There is clearly a lot of love there， suffused into the d This was one of the best short story collections I’ve read in a long time。 I really enjoyed it and will look to buy a hard copy when it comes out later this year。 I was deeply saddened to hear of the author’s sudden passing last December; he clearly had such talent。 What strikes me most in Afterparties is the nuance and generosity of So’s characterizations， especially in his exploration of intergenerational immigrant family relationships。 There is clearly a lot of love there， suffused into the dark humor and even the at times grim portraits of community members and elders。 The complexity achieved here is something I really admire。 I’d recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys short fiction！ 。。。more
Mark Chimel
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This is a very unique and outstanding short story collection。 I admittedly know very little about the Cambodia-American experience or the Khmer Rouge genocide and these stories definitely expose those themes and the related trauma。 I enjoy when short stories in a collection stand alone， but also share some connections and this collection definitely has that as well。 I particularly enjoyed Superking Son Scores Again and Generational Differences。 The biggest shock may have came after the stories t This is a very unique and outstanding short story collection。 I admittedly know very little about the Cambodia-American experience or the Khmer Rouge genocide and these stories definitely expose those themes and the related trauma。 I enjoy when short stories in a collection stand alone， but also share some connections and this collection definitely has that as well。 I particularly enjoyed Superking Son Scores Again and Generational Differences。 The biggest shock may have came after the stories though when I realized the author passed away last year。 This quite sad， as he was very young and obviously a very promising writer based on this collection。 However， I think that this will be one of the most talked short story collections of the year。*I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Deena B
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AFTERPARTIES by Anthony Veasna SoAn enjoyable， interesting read。 Some of these stories I LOVED， others I did not like， and some hung in between。My favorites:•Superking Son Scores Again•The Shop•Generational Differences•Somaly Serey， Serey SomalyI won an ARC in a Goodreads Giveaway， thank you for the copy
Jacie Atteng
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If I could individually judge each short story included in this book， they would run the whole gambit of ratings。。 so I settled for a 3 in the middle。 Some of the stories have characters that you meet in other stories， I typically like them better and they in some way or another did connect， which I liked。 But the other stories were very random and in a lot of ways I didn’t think they made sense or served an integral part to the larger connected stories。 The characters （especially younger ones） If I could individually judge each short story included in this book， they would run the whole gambit of ratings。。 so I settled for a 3 in the middle。 Some of the stories have characters that you meet in other stories， I typically like them better and they in some way or another did connect， which I liked。 But the other stories were very random and in a lot of ways I didn’t think they made sense or served an integral part to the larger connected stories。 The characters （especially younger ones） have a very pessimistic， yet cavalier outlook towards everything （like everything is terrible but oh well） which I found kind of depressing。 Yeah， it’s hard to put all of the thoughts into how strange this read is。 。。。more
Abby Rubin
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The linked stories in Anthony Veasna So's debut collection are a moving， real， and enthralling look at Cambodian-American life。 Obviously one author cannot speak for a whole people， but it is great to open insight into immigrant communities。 The queer stories So tells are funny and nuanced。 They encompass neighborhoods， generational trauma， app culture， not knowing your future path， all while feeling like a friend is chatting with you。 The linked stories in Anthony Veasna So's debut collection are a moving， real， and enthralling look at Cambodian-American life。 Obviously one author cannot speak for a whole people， but it is great to open insight into immigrant communities。 The queer stories So tells are funny and nuanced。 They encompass neighborhoods， generational trauma， app culture， not knowing your future path， all while feeling like a friend is chatting with you。 。。。more
Guillermo Perez
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Wrapping up Anthony Veasna So’s debut collection of essays AFTERPARTIES， Stories and oh my God was this book good。 A new and own voice writer with Cambodian-American stories ranging from love， family traditions， religious beliefs and the strong sense of community。 I wanted to highlight this read especially during #pride month to raise the awareness of our lgbtq writers that are making fantastic work across multiple genres。 I was saddened to read that Veasna passed away late last year as I resear Wrapping up Anthony Veasna So’s debut collection of essays AFTERPARTIES， Stories and oh my God was this book good。 A new and own voice writer with Cambodian-American stories ranging from love， family traditions， religious beliefs and the strong sense of community。 I wanted to highlight this read especially during #pride month to raise the awareness of our lgbtq writers that are making fantastic work across multiple genres。 I was saddened to read that Veasna passed away late last year as I researched what other work he had done in the hopes of reading more of it， his voice in writing so unique and though I am not Cambodian myself; completely relatable。 This is a light fun summer read and I recommend it to all。 AFTERPARTIES， stories will be released 8/3/21 。。。more
Tom O’Leary
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This luminous book of short stories by extraordinary， thrilling young writer Anthony Veasna So had me on the edge of my seat。 Each story was so beautifully， delicately and at times brutally told with unsparing honesty。 I have never read about the Cambodian-American experience。 It is heartbreaking that so promising a writer is no longer with us。 Thank God Anthony fully expressed his immense talent while he was here。 Bravo。
Kel
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A really beautiful book。 I love the way the stories are interwoven and the way they tell the history of the families in the book。 The element of loss in the book is definitely tinged by the loss of this author
Jessica Jernigan
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While I was reading， I was underlining passages that knocked me out and also thinking about how this very young author might develop as a writer。 And then I googled and discovered that Anthony Veasna So died in December。 This is his work， then。 This is the first time that I’ve encountered the Cambodian diaspora in fiction， and I’m grateful to have have this glimpse into that world。 So writes so beautifully about generational trauma。 Generational trauma shows up in sadness and frustration and des While I was reading， I was underlining passages that knocked me out and also thinking about how this very young author might develop as a writer。 And then I googled and discovered that Anthony Veasna So died in December。 This is his work， then。 This is the first time that I’ve encountered the Cambodian diaspora in fiction， and I’m grateful to have have this glimpse into that world。 So writes so beautifully about generational trauma。 Generational trauma shows up in sadness and frustration and despair， but also in funny， weird moments that feel very real。 “We Would’ve Been Princes！” and “Human Development” are stories that are going to stick with me for awhile。 。。。more
Hairol
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"Everything sounds good when you know it was the last thing a person would ever make。 All the words sit more perfect on the page when they are the last words。" - Hanif AbdurraqibI'd looked forward to reading this collection before December 2020， when Anthony and I had a couple Twitter conversations about the secret rivalry of local Syracuse cafes and the Bay Area。 I went through a rollercoaster of emotions while reading Afterparties because that's the effect Anthony's writing has—laughing out lo "Everything sounds good when you know it was the last thing a person would ever make。 All the words sit more perfect on the page when they are the last words。" - Hanif AbdurraqibI'd looked forward to reading this collection before December 2020， when Anthony and I had a couple Twitter conversations about the secret rivalry of local Syracuse cafes and the Bay Area。 I went through a rollercoaster of emotions while reading Afterparties because that's the effect Anthony's writing has—laughing out loud at Superking Son Scores again and "Monk B was ripped" and Dr Heng's wife， gutted by memories of war and forgetting the present in Somaly Serey， Serey Somaly。 It's certainly not perfect—Human Development fell flat for me， and I felt like the endings of many of the pieces were often abrupt with a choppy revelation—but there is a deep tenderness and care for the Cambodian community that comes through with each character。 That sense of enduring love will stay with me for a long time。 5/5Thank you Netgalley for this ARC！ will link victoria's review when it drops lol 。。。more
Cheryl
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Short stories that leave you hanging。 Lots of bad language。
Roxane
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An outstanding short story collection and one of the finest books I’ve read on how generational trauma can shape and influence a diasporic community。 These stories， about Cambodian immigrants and their first generation kids are exceptionally crafted， melancholy， disaffected， and very funny in parts。 There is a sense of ennui that the author captures so well and there is also this beautiful sense of community however exasperating connection might feel to these varied characters ， that binds each An outstanding short story collection and one of the finest books I’ve read on how generational trauma can shape and influence a diasporic community。 These stories， about Cambodian immigrants and their first generation kids are exceptionally crafted， melancholy， disaffected， and very funny in parts。 There is a sense of ennui that the author captures so well and there is also this beautiful sense of community however exasperating connection might feel to these varied characters ， that binds each of the stories to one another。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Afterparties: Stories
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Afterparties: Stories&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Afterparties: Stories&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0