The Committed

The Committed is a 2021 novel by Viet Thanh Nguyen. It is his second novel and the sequel to his debut novel The Sympathizer (2015), which sold over one million copies and was awarded the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. The Committed was published by Grove Press on March 2, 2021.

Plot
The novel begins with the protagonist's arrival in Paris, haunted by memories of the Vietnam War and struggling to find his place in the world. He adopts the guise of a French intellectual to navigate the complexities of Parisian society and the underworld.

Under the guidance of Bon, the protagonist becomes embroiled in the drug trade, navigating alliances and betrayals while grappling with his moral compass. As he delves deeper into the criminal underworld, he confronts his past traumas and questions his motivations.

Throughout the novel, the protagonist engages in philosophical discussions with Bon and Yunior, exploring existential themes and the nature of identity. He forms complex relationships with Man and other characters, each representing different facets of his journey towards self-discovery.

As political tensions rise in Paris, the protagonist becomes entangled in revolutionary activities and confronts the legacy of colonialism. He is forced to confront his own complicity in perpetuating violence and oppression, leading to a reckoning with his past and his future.

Reception
The Committed received favorable reviews, with a cumulative "Positive" rating at the review aggregator website Book Marks. In its starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote, "Nguyen is deft at balancing his hero's existential despair with the lurid glow of a crime saga." Publishers Weekly, in its starred review, praised "the narrator’s hair-raising escapes, descriptions of the Boss's hokey bar, and thoughtful references to Fanon and Césaire." The New York Times praised the first hundred pages of The Committed as "better than anything in the first novel," while regarding the second half as, "shaggy, shaggy, shaggy."