The Lover

The narrator and her lover begin an affair that will last for a year and a half, until the narrator moves from Saigon to France. Their relationship is physical; neither discuss their emotions or get to know the other’s personality. The narrator introduces her lover to her mother and two brothers one evening; they go to an expensive Chinese restaurant in Saigon and her lover pays. This becomes a pattern; the narrator’s lover frequently takes her family to dinners or the club for drinks.

The narrator’s lover fears her brothers and the expectation that he must marry the narrator. He is terrified that the narrator will meet another man and replace him. During the dinners, her brothers never speak to her lover because of his race. The narrator follows her eldest brother’s lead, not speaking to her lover or acknowledging his generosity. When in the company of both her lover and elder brother, the narrator feels shame and anger toward her lover. Although the narrator doesn’t act independently of her elder brother's influence, she suspects that she is “the only person my elder brother’s afraid of” (54). The siblings’ strongest uniting force is their love for their mother and the need to protect her when she experiences depression.