In some relationships, we find ourselves responsible for devoting so much of our time to understanding more about how other people view the world, that we forget how to see for ourselves. Frequently we forget, too, that one person’s way of seeing, however familiar, rehearsed even, is not necessarily anything like another’s. Often when we examine the quotidian, we fall into a habit of seeing. The stories occupy the space that that ‘k’ holds, an unexpected element amidst the rote.

Readers of How to Pronounce Knife will not find solutions to age-old problems or innovation readers will find clarity and acuity, and a keen attention to everyday details. Tender, uncompromising, and fiercely alive, How to Pronounce Knife establishes Souvankham Thammavongsa as one of the most important voices of her generation.If you are considering whether or not to read Souvankham Thammavongsa’s collection of stories, you probably already know how to do it, how to pronounce the word ‘knife’. And in the 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.

A former boxer finds a 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. In her stunning Giller Prize-winning debut book of fiction, 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 make their own. A housewife learning English from daytime soap operas. A father who packs furniture to move into homes he'll never afford. A woman plucking feathers at a chicken processing plant. Told with compassion and wry humour, these stories honour characters struggling to find their bearings far from home, even as they do the necessary 'grunt work of the world.'Ī young man painting nails at the local salon. Henry Award winner Souvankham Thammavongsa establishes her as an essential new voice in Canadian and world literature. Named one of Time's Must-Read Books of 2020, and featuring stories that have appeared in Harper's, Granta, The Atlantic, and The Paris Review, this revelatory book of fiction from O. WINNER OF THE 2020 SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZEįINALIST FOR THE 2021 NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD, the PEN AMERICA OPEN BOOK AWARD, and the DANUTA GLEED AWARD

How to pronounce knife book review