Summary

Souvankham Thammavongsa’s short story “Edge of the World” begins with the narrator recalling how her Lao mother used to laugh out loud only when they were alone. She adds that her mother learned English from soap operas and often used to accuse her father of having an affair, but he never took her seriously. However, the narrator’s father sometimes said that he was struggling because people talked too fast in English to him at work. 

The narrator also recalls how she and her parents used to go to parties where other refugees from Laos gathered. She says that this was a place where they could enjoy themselves and talk about their past. The parties were the only source of news about the country her parents had left. 

The narrator says that her father was the center of attention at these parties while her mother u...