Chapter 19 Summary

Surprisingly, Biju runs into Saeed again. He's married a white American girl, whose "hippie" parents love him and admire his persistence in trying to emigrate.

Biju's father goes to the post office to complain that all his letters were arriving soaking wet. The postman told him there was no way to keep them dry during the rainy season. During this terrible season, Lola would spray poison to kill the bugs that were multiplying day after day. Thousands of insects died daily, yet it didn't matter because thousands more were born the very next day.

Chapter 19 Analysis

Biju was invisible to the people on the street, and his people were invisible to the people of the world. The writer draws a parallel between Indians and insects. The INS is like an exterminator, trying to get rid of the mass of bugs coming into its...