Children Of The River

Character descriptions?

Sundara is just a girl when she leaves Cambodia with her family. Because of the war, her aunt, uncle, and grandma decide to move suddenly, so there is no time to send for Sundara's parents to join them or even to give them a warning. Sundara grows up feeling the loss of her parents deeply, causing her to fear abandonment. When her aunt's baby dies on the boat ride to America, Sundara is crushed. She never seems to be the same after the death, eventually leading her grandma to believe that the girl's body has been possessed by the soul of the dead infant. Despite these strange affairs, Sundara grows up relatively normal in the U.S. High school is difficult for her socially, made especially complicated because of her heritage which many of the kids ridicule or are afraid of. She's very timid, avoiding conflict at all costs. This tendency handicaps her relationships, but she does make a strong impression on her boyfriend.

Sundara's aunt, Soka, is the glue of the family. She oversees the household, the children, and often their finances. She is the one to get a job working for the farmer, for which she recruits Sundara to help. Afraid of allowing Sundara to suffer embarrassment or heartbreak because of cultural differences, she forbids her from dating Jonathan. She soon realizes that she cannot prevent young love, however.

ya same