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The Napper
Thuy Nguyen is your typical spoiled rich international student in her freshman year of college, except she is depressed and cannot stop taking naps to escape from the flashbacks of her emotionally traumatic childhood. When she is not napping, she uses hook-up sex to fill the empty void inside her heart. Oscar, a Senegalese-American classmate of Thuy, is her complete he is stable, career-minded and has an optimistic outlook on life. For the summer, Thuy wins a summer grant to Paris, where she researches an obscure Vietnamese painter. In Paris, she gets caught up in an intense love affair with an older married man. When Oscar pays Thuy a visit, Thuy's life becomes even more emotionally chaotic and confusing than she can handle. Will she choose Oscar despite fearing that the other shoe will drop if she feels emotionally supported for the first time in her life? Is the stable, hard-working immigrant in Oscar going to be happy with the fickle, ever so erratic Thuy?
- GenresFiction
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 15, 2024
1 person is currently reading
134 people want to read
About the author
Linh Luu
2 books2 followersLinh Luu is a writer who traveled from Hanoi to NYC.
She has an M.F.A in fiction from Columbia and was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.
She is interested in protagonists who don’t always do the expected.
She also writes non-fiction and has published book reviews and personal essays on identity, womanhood and power. She was previously an apprentice at The Believer Magazine.
She has an M.F.A in fiction from Columbia and was a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill.
She is interested in protagonists who don’t always do the expected.
She also writes non-fiction and has published book reviews and personal essays on identity, womanhood and power. She was previously an apprentice at The Believer Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
July 3, 2024
just completed my reading goal of 60 books for the year with linh lu‘s upcoming release, the napper!
thuy is an international student, struggling to cope with her new environment and the gaping hole left by her childhood. oscar is the opposite — where thuy is stressed, he is stable. where she is troubled and tense, he is tender and tolerant. thuy is split in three different directions, between three homes. chapel hill, paris, hanoi. this book has emotional chaos, sexual vulnerability and fickle relationships that may just blossom into more.
i want to preface this by saying i’m so grateful that linh reached out to me and sent me this arc. i truly loved this book. it was reminiscent of ‘past lives’ and mieko kawakami’s writing — like a warm summer breeze on a night where the sky is exceptionally blue. she fully encapsulates the feeling of having different homes in different cities and different people, and maybe realising that you are your own true home.
support indie authors and read the napper — out august 20th!
thuy is an international student, struggling to cope with her new environment and the gaping hole left by her childhood. oscar is the opposite — where thuy is stressed, he is stable. where she is troubled and tense, he is tender and tolerant. thuy is split in three different directions, between three homes. chapel hill, paris, hanoi. this book has emotional chaos, sexual vulnerability and fickle relationships that may just blossom into more.
i want to preface this by saying i’m so grateful that linh reached out to me and sent me this arc. i truly loved this book. it was reminiscent of ‘past lives’ and mieko kawakami’s writing — like a warm summer breeze on a night where the sky is exceptionally blue. she fully encapsulates the feeling of having different homes in different cities and different people, and maybe realising that you are your own true home.
support indie authors and read the napper — out august 20th!
April 19, 2025
4/5 if not for a ridiculous amount of typos and formatting errors.
August 20, 2024
A must read for anyone who’s had a love affair with naps!
In The Napper, Linh Luu masterfully captures the quiet desperation of a young woman navigating the complexities of identity, desire, and the overwhelming need to escape.
This story allowed me to step back in time, to my late twenties when I was fighting my own battles with burnout/PTSD and the quiet desperation that can take over when life feels both overwhelming and hollow. Thuy Nguyen’s journey, as she drifts through her freshman year in a haze of naps and fleeting romances, resonated deeply with my own experience of losing two years to the numbing solace of sleep after escaping from Cape Town to Hanoi.
What struck me most was how Thuy uses napping as an escape—a way to shut out the relentless pressures of academia, the expectations of an overbearing mother, and the unspoken fears that come with stepping into adulthood. It's an escape I know all too well, and Linh captures it with incredible precision.
Linh’s portrayal of Thuy’s Parisian summer is both intoxicating and heartbreaking. What makes The Napper so powerful is its refusal to glamorize or oversimplify Thuy’s journey. Linh writes with a raw honesty that confronts the complex realities of being a young woman in today’s world—where burnout is often dismissed, and survival can sometimes mean retreating into the comfort of sleep rather than pushing through the pain.
Reading The Napper felt like slipping into a dream, one that lingers long after you wake up. It’s a book that forces us to confront the ways we cope, the masks we wear, and the quiet, often unnoticed rebellions that keep us afloat. Linh Luu has given us a protagonist who is both deeply flawed and achingly human, and in doing so, she’s crafted a narrative that is as much about self-reclamation as it is about survival.
This novel is for anyone who has ever sought solace in the simple act of closing their eyes and shutting out the world.
Linh’s voice is one that the literary world desperately needs—nuanced, fearless, and unafraid to explore the messy, complicated realities of modern life.
In The Napper, Linh Luu masterfully captures the quiet desperation of a young woman navigating the complexities of identity, desire, and the overwhelming need to escape.
This story allowed me to step back in time, to my late twenties when I was fighting my own battles with burnout/PTSD and the quiet desperation that can take over when life feels both overwhelming and hollow. Thuy Nguyen’s journey, as she drifts through her freshman year in a haze of naps and fleeting romances, resonated deeply with my own experience of losing two years to the numbing solace of sleep after escaping from Cape Town to Hanoi.
What struck me most was how Thuy uses napping as an escape—a way to shut out the relentless pressures of academia, the expectations of an overbearing mother, and the unspoken fears that come with stepping into adulthood. It's an escape I know all too well, and Linh captures it with incredible precision.
Linh’s portrayal of Thuy’s Parisian summer is both intoxicating and heartbreaking. What makes The Napper so powerful is its refusal to glamorize or oversimplify Thuy’s journey. Linh writes with a raw honesty that confronts the complex realities of being a young woman in today’s world—where burnout is often dismissed, and survival can sometimes mean retreating into the comfort of sleep rather than pushing through the pain.
Reading The Napper felt like slipping into a dream, one that lingers long after you wake up. It’s a book that forces us to confront the ways we cope, the masks we wear, and the quiet, often unnoticed rebellions that keep us afloat. Linh Luu has given us a protagonist who is both deeply flawed and achingly human, and in doing so, she’s crafted a narrative that is as much about self-reclamation as it is about survival.
This novel is for anyone who has ever sought solace in the simple act of closing their eyes and shutting out the world.
Linh’s voice is one that the literary world desperately needs—nuanced, fearless, and unafraid to explore the messy, complicated realities of modern life.
August 17, 2024
As a South Asian-American, this book resonated deeply with me because of how the protagonist navigates the balance between her upbringing in Vietnam and her experiences going to boarding school and college in the States, reflecting on the diverse experiences we all encounter as young adults growing up between multiple cultures. Having studied in the States and studied abroad, I was surprised by how much I related to this book, especially in understanding who I was in my early twenties and how my experiences shaped my identity.
The Napper is a deeply personal, page-turning, and relatable memoir about Thuy, an international student from Vietnam, discovering herself throughout her journeys in the States, Paris, and back home in Hanoi. The book explores the intersectionality of culture in Asia, America, and Europe, and examines how our inner dialogue and past experiences influence our decisions and shape who we become. Thuy is deeply self-reflective and introspective, and she displays authenticity in exploring how love, art, education, and family contribute to our growth into the people we aspire to be.
The Napper is a deeply personal, page-turning, and relatable memoir about Thuy, an international student from Vietnam, discovering herself throughout her journeys in the States, Paris, and back home in Hanoi. The book explores the intersectionality of culture in Asia, America, and Europe, and examines how our inner dialogue and past experiences influence our decisions and shape who we become. Thuy is deeply self-reflective and introspective, and she displays authenticity in exploring how love, art, education, and family contribute to our growth into the people we aspire to be.
January 16, 2025
This book does not reflect your typical international student experience.
It does touch on a lot of of great topics such as cross-culturalism, mental health, and generational trauma. Unfortunately all of these topics were explored at a very superficial level. The acknowledgement of priviliges was also only skimmed through.
An interesting read but would definitely benefit from more thorough expansion of both the plot and the character development.
The abrupt ending is the biggest crime that this book has committed!
It does touch on a lot of of great topics such as cross-culturalism, mental health, and generational trauma. Unfortunately all of these topics were explored at a very superficial level. The acknowledgement of priviliges was also only skimmed through.
An interesting read but would definitely benefit from more thorough expansion of both the plot and the character development.
The abrupt ending is the biggest crime that this book has committed!
March 9, 2025
The version I read on Kobo needs editing, which affects my rating. There are a few typos, alot of formatting issues, and some grammar problems. It wasn't unreadable, but it was pretty frustrating sometimes. Hopefully the printed version is better.
That said, it was an interesting little short story about a woman's first year in college. Mostly about her summer in Paris. It's about her self-discovery & how the history with her mom impacts her relationships and motivation. Though I believe she's still in the middle of that journey by the end of the book. I can really see it resonating more with people who have lived abroad or have come from a family who values academic achievement and image.
I had alot of thoughts about how everything fell into place for her, like making the right contacts immediately and how the character repeatedly says her family was wealthy. Was it to create more walls between her and other characters? Was it commentary about how even wealthy people have problems? Was it just to amplify her flaws? Lots to think about.
The way the author showed subtle fetishization and sexual vulnerability was interesting. I would've liked her to explore that a bit deeper with the character's thoughts. I feel like alot of the themes could've gone a bit deeper. I think some of the realizations from the protagonist were done very well though.
I liked the ending, but it was very abrupt. I like the idea & choice for the conclusion, but I think the way it was written needed more work. It felt like a door-slam, which works for many stories, but didn't fit the tone of this one in my opinion.
The vibe felt thoroughly "college" for me. Figuring yourself out, getting off-track sometimes, being confused about relationships, the freedom of more independence letting you drift, but pulling it all together enough by the end to stay on course.
That said, it was an interesting little short story about a woman's first year in college. Mostly about her summer in Paris. It's about her self-discovery & how the history with her mom impacts her relationships and motivation. Though I believe she's still in the middle of that journey by the end of the book. I can really see it resonating more with people who have lived abroad or have come from a family who values academic achievement and image.
I had alot of thoughts about how everything fell into place for her, like making the right contacts immediately and how the character repeatedly says her family was wealthy. Was it to create more walls between her and other characters? Was it commentary about how even wealthy people have problems? Was it just to amplify her flaws? Lots to think about.
The way the author showed subtle fetishization and sexual vulnerability was interesting. I would've liked her to explore that a bit deeper with the character's thoughts. I feel like alot of the themes could've gone a bit deeper. I think some of the realizations from the protagonist were done very well though.
I liked the ending, but it was very abrupt. I like the idea & choice for the conclusion, but I think the way it was written needed more work. It felt like a door-slam, which works for many stories, but didn't fit the tone of this one in my opinion.
The vibe felt thoroughly "college" for me. Figuring yourself out, getting off-track sometimes, being confused about relationships, the freedom of more independence letting you drift, but pulling it all together enough by the end to stay on course.
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August 17, 2024This novel blends what I love most about fiction: a compelling/complex narrator, rich settings to escape into, thoughtful prose and a propulsive plot. Though the main character, Thuy, doesn't feel like she's doing much besides napping her first year of college away, we see her falling in love (and lust), wrestling with her shadow selves and family dynamics, and finding her way through art and beauty.
The opening chapters read like a modern take on Jane Austen-eque melancholy -- for every step forward into adulthood, Thuy takes an hours long nap to avoid it. But once she reaches Paris (and Richard), the pace quickens with a series of miscommunications and bad timing. As I sped through the last 50 pages, I kept yearning for Thuy to see what readers see in Oscar.
Picture the narrator of My Year of Rest and Relaxation dropped into a grown-up version of the romance in To All The Boys I've Loved Before set against rich international settings.
Great read for anyone who has felt like life is both moving too fast and not at all.
The opening chapters read like a modern take on Jane Austen-eque melancholy -- for every step forward into adulthood, Thuy takes an hours long nap to avoid it. But once she reaches Paris (and Richard), the pace quickens with a series of miscommunications and bad timing. As I sped through the last 50 pages, I kept yearning for Thuy to see what readers see in Oscar.
Picture the narrator of My Year of Rest and Relaxation dropped into a grown-up version of the romance in To All The Boys I've Loved Before set against rich international settings.
Great read for anyone who has felt like life is both moving too fast and not at all.
August 17, 2024
The Napper is proof that we need more Asian American voices in literature! It starkly and honestly confronts some monumental issues through the lens of a first-generation, female Vietnamese American. I really appreciated that Thuy, the protagonist , contends with issues ranging from depression, sexuality and body dysmorphia to racism and colonialism, but not as a form of trauma porn languishing in how pitiful or sympathetic these issues make Thuy’s life. Rather, at its core, this is a story of an educated, relatively privileged, young woman coming of age and searching for love, and feels authentic to how we live (and fumble) our modern lives. The book certainly forces us to confront markers of French colonialism and familial toxicity, but is extreme matter-of-fact and doesn’t explicitly attempt to moralize. I should add that I cried three times while reading this 200 page book, but I probably cry more than any normal person should. Quick read and worth it!
August 20, 2024
The Napper is a coming-of-age novel about Thuy, a Vietnamese college student, as she navigates life struggling with burnout, discovering her ambitions, and falling in love. As Thuy is entering adulthood, we get a vivid and poetic description of her world as she balances love, ambition, and the pressures to perform at the highest level. The novel explores the complexities of Thuy’s relationships with her family, friends, and the environment around her while continuously captivating the reader’s attention. There is something for everyone in this book, truly everyone will find some part of Thuy they can resonate with. “The Napper” is a must-read for any young adult struggling to find their way in a society where the pressure to “succeed” seems to grow stronger every day. 5/5 stars, definitely don’t ‘sleep’ on this one!
February 28, 2025
Review: I have been and always will be a huge fan of Asian culture. I loved experiencing the culture through the book and googled every single dish that was named. I am a big foodie so that was awesome being introduced to new cuisine through a literary work. More deeply though, this book touched on depression and self-doubt as well as anxiety and I thought it was represented really well. When you first open the book on and read about the main characters love for napping, you don’t connect it with mental illness or the character really struggling with burn out. It sneaks up on you much like depression and anxiety do and that hit me right in the soul. The only complaint I really have for the book was that there was some repetitiveness and redundancy but overall, it was a good and emotional read.
August 14, 2024
Spanning three continents over 150 pages, this brand new novel is an addicting, sexy, lightning read! Narrator Thuy invites the reader into her mind to allow us to empathize with her experiences, inner turmoil, and depression. The genuine, relatable relationships paired with the the perspective of an international student at an American university makes for a valuable story that needs amplified.
Huge congratulations to Linh on her publishing debut!!! I can’t wait for the world to experience her voice.
Huge congratulations to Linh on her publishing debut!!! I can’t wait for the world to experience her voice.
August 17, 2024
This book is a captivating and poignant exploration of American and western society and culture through the eyes of a first-generation Vietnamese student. Linh masterfully weaves together themes of identity, friendship, love, and trauma as the protagonist navigates the start of her adulthood. It is a powerful and moving portrayal of the struggles and triumphs of one young woman's journey. A short but sweet read!
June 20, 2025
It wasn’t really that good, but it did mirror an experience I had in my life. In law school, my now husband and I broke up and I saw someone else who was apparently wealthy and powerful and I got lost in alcohol. But my husband shaped me up and pulled me out and back into reality. Now we are married and I’m as happy as a clam for true happiness. Also, I lost a part of myself in Vienna and not Paris, but I understand. I was 17. There’s lots of cheating in this. Phew.
August 17, 2024
The napper by Linh Luu is such a beautiful and exciting debut. All of the pacing and thoughts in it are so interesting and deep. Was so hooked by the romances and affairs that made it impossible to put down. Truly unique but parts reminds me of my year of rest and relaxation and some of the tones of a Sally Rooney novel. Big congrats and this is a must read!
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May 15, 2025Who edited this??? The blurb was so compelling, but then I was left scratching my head for most of the book. I think it conveys how brain rot and depression kill your ability to think critically pretty well. Sadly, I am not far enough away from my mental illness era to find this comforting or relatable in the least— just profoundly irritating
September 1, 2025
Brutally poorly written. The narrator overexplains everything to a degree that indicates no confidence in the reader's ability to make simple connections and inferences. The advice to "show, don't tell" has never been so clearly highlighted as in this book. Word choice and sentence structure is also shockingly amateurish [e.g., "chewing on its chewy texture" (p.13)]. Did anyone edit this?
August 18, 2024
I would highly recommend The Napper. The book resonated with me and touches on what it can mean to live in different places that might mean different things to you. The book discusses growing up, mental health, relationships, and more. The Napper is a really powerful novel.
December 23, 2024
3.5 Reminded me of me at 19
January 30, 2025
“For me, home would never be an easy concept.”
May 26, 2025
Needs an editor.
July 21, 2025
Conceptually, this book did some interesting legwork with trauma, Buddhism, and immigrant identity. Practically? It could’ve used further edits for tone, pacing, and clarity.
August 22, 2024
The Napper is a lit-fic for the girls: it is a lit-fic for the international students, for the daughters with parents with lofty expectations, and for the girls who are under an insurmountable amount of pressure but just want to live. Burnt out from her aggressive studying in her final year of high school, our protagonist Thuy combats her first year of university at UNC by napping between classes, budding relationships and sexual exploits in the late evenings. Her perceptions of university, virginity and female friendship is authentically relatable - the desire to be considered 'normal' blazing at the forefront of her journey. By summer, when she is completing an art history work placement in Paris, the lines between her work and personal life are blurred, bringing forth the questions of who she wants to be, what she wants to be known for, and who are the people she wants to surround herself with.
Encircled by complex relationships with her friends, family and partners, Thuy navigates newfound adulthood from Hanoi to Chapel Hill to Paris. Throughout it all, she questions herself: where is home, truly?
A fabulous debut. I think many, many readers will feel simultaneously entertained and seen by Thuy. The journey of an international student finding her way and place in the world is a path many undertake. Thank you Linh for an ARC!
Encircled by complex relationships with her friends, family and partners, Thuy navigates newfound adulthood from Hanoi to Chapel Hill to Paris. Throughout it all, she questions herself: where is home, truly?
A fabulous debut. I think many, many readers will feel simultaneously entertained and seen by Thuy. The journey of an international student finding her way and place in the world is a path many undertake. Thank you Linh for an ARC!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews