"A sobering account of the tragic reality of the dehumanization of war, not only on its innocent victims caught in the crossfire, but on the psyches of those caught on opposite sides of conflicts . . . The toll of the war is vividly and powerfully unpacked in Tuon's very personal and tender account of one family's traumatic journey of escape to America . . . an impressive first novel." --East Wind

"Tuon's work chooses to shed light not just on the direct and tangible effects of the Khmer Rouge, but also a continued and often internal conflict faced by Cambodian refugees following their escape. [​Koan Khmer] highlights the struggle of rebuilding a sense of self in the shadow of immense trauma and loss." --Full Stop

"Koan Khmer takes us to the edges of interbeing. We travel with an orphan child named Samnang Sok, who has survived genocide--as legions of children around the globe do, and do not--as he tries to piece together a story strong enough to hold his life. With the generosity of a poet of witness, Tuon carefully and lovingly opens the space of refugee long enough for us to bear witness to the full brutal and beautiful experiences of Cambodian Americans. I feel like I have a new heart tattoo. I am grateful." --Lidia Yuknavitch, author of Thrust and The Chronology of Water
"Koan Khmer gives light to the Cambodian immigrant/refugee experience, which is unlike any other, and challenges the easy narratives we are fed by mainstream media about the immigrant experience. Transcending the survival narrative, Bunkong Tuon's debut novel presents to readers a narrator who is not merely the keeper of stories but also the one who seeks, who endeavors, who is more than witness. This is not a book about survival. It is a book about striving." --Ira Sukrungruang, author of Buddha's Dog other Meditations