Saigon

Throughout Patricia’s portions of the narrative, she describes the time she spent in Saigon during the Vietnam War to Rainey. Therefore, large swaths of Parts I and III are set in this location.

Shortly after Patricia and Peter get married, they relocate to Saigon for Peter’s engineer work. Patricia does not question the move and regards Saigon as “a lovely, an exotic, adventure” (32). The place is unfamiliar to her, and disrupts her domestic and marital life. However, because she has learned to define herself according to her husband, she accepts these changes.

Throughout Patricia’s time in Saigon, she attaches herself to her new friend Charlene and to Charlene’s friends. She wants to be accepted by these women, because she is otherwise alone. Over time, she develops the closest kinship with Charlene.

Patricia’s time in Saigon is largely defined by her involvement in Charlene...