Viet Thanh Nguyen's A Man of Two Faces is told in an unconventional manner. The novel is told in a non-linear fashion, much like Nguyen's works of fiction, and includes non-biographical information. For instance, Nguyen talks about his opinions on the Vietnam War generally and the fiction that comes out of it, like films such as Apocalypse Now and The Deer Hunter.
Not only that, in between the biographical parts of the novel, Nguyen talks about present-day issues. He discusses Russia's invasion of Ukraine, contrasting his experience as a refugee to the experiences that many Ukrainians have. Nguyen argues that because they are white, Ukrainians have a much easier time fitting into the countries they seek refuge in than he did because of his skin color. He also talks about colonialism and capitalism's effect on the United States, which he proudly dubs "The United States, T.M. (or trademark)." Finally, and perhaps most significantly, some of Nguyen's tangents involve both historical and modern-day figures—people like Donald Trump (whom he despises), Karl Marx, and the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The rest of the novel is devoted to Nguyen's musings on his own life. Born in Ban Mê Thuột, Vietnam, in 1971, Nguyen's early life was marked by instability. He had two loving parents; however, his country was in turmoil thanks to successive wars—first with the French and then with the United States.
For the first several years, Nguyen and his family lived in Vietnam. They often had trouble finding adequate food and other protections. After living in Vietnam for several years, Nguyen's parents decided to move to the United States in search of safety and better opportunities. Initially, Nguyen and his siblings are apprehensive about leaving Vietnam; however, their parents assure them that the move will be for the best.
Eventually, the family arrives in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. A single sponsor isn't able to take them all, so Nguyen is sent to foster care. After traversing the complexities of the foster care system and enduring abuse at the hands of some of his foster parents, Nguyen is finally reunited with his parents in San Jose, California, where they open up a "humble" Vietnamese grocery store and enjoy a reasonable amount of success. Because of their success, they bought a house in cash in San Jose and started to raise their family.
Academically, Nguyen is initially successful. However, he starts to struggle in high school (even though his brother is wildly successful). Even though he receives B+ grades, in the eyes of Asian culture and his parents, Nguyen has failed. When the time comes to go to college, his brother is accepted to every college and ultimately attends Harvard; Nguyen is rejected by many schools he applies to, except for one, which he calls his "last-choice university."
Despite all of the trouble he faces, Nguyen succeeds in life. He becomes a successful author and creates a family of his own. He also maintained a strong relationship with his parents, whom he later helped care for in their old age until their deaths nearly 50 years after they left Vietnam. Still later in life, though, Nguyen and his parent's wounds are reopened as they grow older, something which he is forced to deal with.
