This collection of short stories by the late Anthony Veasna So traces the assimilation of a Cambodian-American family into the California diaspora. From two drunken brothers getting revenge on an uncle for dissing the bride and groom at a wedding afterparty to the tale of a nine-year-old who finds out his mother survived a racist school shooter, these stories resound with clarity and brim with sharp details. Often crossing the line from funny to heartbreaking—sometimes in the same sentence—So’s work fairly leaps off the page with immediacy and a poignancy you won’t easily forget.
Afterparties, by Anthony Veasna So. Published by Ecco. The editor is Helen Atsma and the agent is Rob McQuilkin. Afterparties is a finalist for the Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction, presented by the Ferro-Grumley Foundation in conjunction with the Publishing Triangle; the winner will be announced on May 11.