The Refugees Summary
Viet Thanh Nguyen

The Refugees Overview

The Refuges by Viet Thanh Nguyen is a collection of eight short stories that all focus around the experiences of immigrants who were forced from their countries of origin by war and became refugees. Most of the stories feature protagonists who are either Vietnamese refugees or the children of Vietnamese refugees, but the stories also feature a wide range of immigrants and immigrant experiences. The stories take place over a period from the late 1970s until 2001 and explores themes about family, ethnicity, and identity. Specifically it explores the identity of people who live between two worlds--their country of birth and their adopted country.