And also we can be ungrateful and there should be room for that. We’re also fun and ferocious and hilarious. But I feel like that image is very narrow about who we really are.
“I knew that whenever we encounter stories of immigrants and refugees, they are always sad and tragic. In focusing her work squarely on immigrant and refugee families, Thammovangsa pulls out a range of emotions other narratives about these groups often fail to achieve. By shining a light on the invisible, Thammavongsa is able to convey the universality of the desire to be loved and understood. Her stories highlight the hopes and desires of groups often undiscussed and ignored, like nail technicians, agriculture workers, and immigrants. Many of these characters navigate challenging workplaces, romance, and changing family dynamics as immigrants or refugees, undergoing experiences that Thammavongsa draws from her own life. In How To Pronounce Knife, Thammavongsa’s short stories focus on the seemingly mundane aspects of different peoples’ lives: a former boxing champion getting a job at his sister’s nail salon, friendships formed while working at a chicken plant, and a mother obsessed with a country singer. After completing her undergraduate degree in 2003, Thammavongsa published her essays and poems in various publications and completed a number of writing residencies. She is a University of Toronto alum, where she studied English literature. Thammavongsa was born in Nong Khai, Thailand in a Lao refugee camp and was raised in Toronto, where she still resides. In early November, the novel earned Thammavongsa the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize. Tender but never nostalgic, Thammavongsa breaks down essential parts of love and intimacy with precise prose. Through a series of short stories, Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How To Pronounce Knife explores the textures of the daily lives of immigrant families, elderly neighbours, curious children, and more.
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