[1] The stories in the collection centre principally on the experiences of Laotian Canadian immigrant families, sometimes from the perspective of children observing the world of adults.

[4] How to Pronounce Knife was generally well-received by critics, including a starred reviews Booklist, who wrote, "These stories have a quiet brilliance in their raw portrayal of the struggle to find meaning in difficult times and to belong in a foreign place.

"[5] Writing for Shelf Awareness, Alice Martin called the prose "spare" and "precise," saying its "syntactical simplicity [...] throws the internal complexity of these characters and their situations into stark relief, displaying how restraint can pack an unexpectedly sentimental punch.

These stories are vessels of hope, of hurt, of rejection, of loss and of finding one's footing in a new and strange land.

"[7] Publishers Weekly called the collection "sharp," "elegant," and "potent,"[8] and Kirkus Reviews referred to it as "moving, strange, and occasionally piercing.