This was a pretty intense story. I had to take a break for a bit as it touched on the emotional aftermath Tuyen's parents suffered after losing their little boy during the immigration process. As a mom, I can't help but feel their pain and desperation over the years.

The ending also doesn't have quite the solid resolution I'm used to reading....fitting with the rather grungy realistic tone the story has over all. These are just a collection of people trying to get by. They were getting by before the story begins, and they clearly will after this story ends. There are no Cinderellas here. There is no "happily ever after". There's just....after. Life goes on.