New Orleans is at war. The long howl in the sky; what else can it mean?
-- Narrator (August 1979)

Importance: A year after arriving in the States, Hương remains traumatized by the war in Vietnam. When she hears the hurricane alarm, therefore, she believes it is a sign that the city is under attack. Her response to the innocuous alarm encapsulates the depth of her continued fear and disorientation. These lines also open the novel, and therefore establish the narrative stakes, tone, and atmosphere. This passage also foreshadows the hurricane the family will live through in the final chapter of the novel.

And with love, they would survive.
-- Narrator (Hương, 1978)

Importance: While living in Vietnam with Công and Tuấn, Hương feels almost completely content. She is convinced that the love she and her family feel for one another is all they will ever need for happiness, and for survival. Her confidence soon falters...