Genre
Young adult
Setting and Context
Phnom Penh during the Cambodian War
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator.
Tone and Mood
The tone is upsetting; the mood is hopeful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Sundara is the protagonist; the war is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Sundara escapes from her city in the capital of Cambodia and moves to a town for safety.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when the parents of Sundara laugh and say that she will marry Chamroen one day.
Foreshadowing
Sundara's journey to America is foreshadowed by the fact that she is helped to escape.
Understatement
The role of friendship is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to the life of the Cambodian people during its civil war.
Imagery
The imagery of violent fighting is present in the novel.
Paradox
The fact that Sundara's cousin dies, yet should help her is an example of paradox in the story.
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Sundara's own experience and the lives of thousands of Cambodians.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
N/A
Personification
N/A
