BookLife Review: Afterparties: Stories, by Anthony Veasna So
Cambodian immigrants, genocide trauma, LBGQT+, short stories
A very different pace and flavor. Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So (@anthonyveasna) is a quirky, off-beat collection of interconnected short stories centered around a recurring set of characters of Cambodian heritage. The collection tackles challenging themes of cultural identity, genocide, refugees, sexual identity and finding community.
At times pointedly insular and idiosyncratic, the stories are about a revolving door of belonging, foreignness, restlessness, attachment, community and finding purpose. It aspires to enrich and expand (and largely succeeds) one’s vision of the US as a melting pot, by including these newer and diverse lesser seen and heard Cambodian-American LGBTQ+ voices.