Chapters 16-19 Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 16, a "Fallen-Leaves" chapter, the author recalled his mother, Anh, having tea before the fall of Saigon with an old friend who was going to Paris and wanted Anh's family to come, too. Meanwhile, An was being jostled by a crowd that knocked his ice cream cone out of his hands. He sensed fire, and realized that the crowd was watching a Buddhist monk sacrificing himself to the flames.

Chapter 17, "Hope-Adrift," returned to the storyline of the family's escape from Vietnam. Everyone in the fishing boat was fearful as the big ship bore down on them, but then it veered away. Over the next day, the crew devoured all the supplies, which were supposed to last a week. Finally, a French ship appeared, but it passed close by as the captain and crew watched impassively from the deck...