What We All Long For

Although there is no one main character of the novel, Tuyen would likely be considered to be the closest: the novel begins with her perspective and it frequently focuses on her in some form. Further, it is her brother Quy who figures as the fifth main character through his chapters, and a significant subplot deals with that family tragedy and the looming reunion that arrives, finally, at the end. Regardless, she figures prominently, and much of the novel can be read through her actions and influence, even if she is not directly present.

Tuyen is a queer woman, Canadian-born of Vietnamese descent, and the daughter of Vietnamese refugees. Growing up, Tuyen rejected her Vietnamese heritage, refusing to learn the language and frequently yelling at the Vietnamese-speaking customers of her parents’ restaurant “to speak English” (21). As an adult, she embraces a form of her heritage, although she often folds other Asian cultures into her understanding of her own person, perhaps reflecting the way various Asian identities are often conflated in Western society. She initially intended to become an architect, but left architectural school for art school, then finally dropped out of art school, as well, choosing to make her own way as an artist in the alternative scene, largely through intricate avant-garde art installations.