Structure

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Beginning

The short story beings directly, establishing the time and physical setting: “In ’97 we bought back our old townhouse on the outskirts of Bangkok” (l. 1). The first line function as a narrative hook as it hooks readers’ attention because it does not reveal anything about the characters or their relationship.

As the exposition continues, we find out that the events take place after Thailand’s “econom…

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Middle

The middle of the short story contains the rising action and climax. The rising action is built through a series of tension points. For example, the first tension point is the father being in conflict with the mother following his unemployment: “To oppose Dad’s newfound broadness, she had adopted the mannerisms of a bird of prey, hunched, stalking Dad’s efforts, her censure biting into him like a hooked beak” (ll. 34-36). Tension further increases as we see the mother being passive-aggressive with the father (ll. 40-44) – which prompts the man to say: “ ‘Why do I feel like you girls are teaming up against me?’ ” (ll.…

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Ending

The story has a rather long falling action. In the falling action, the father leaves for the US and Lara reflects on the men affected by the economic crisis: “It was a father conspiracy. They all had a plan B. You could trace their exploits if you wanted to; in their wake they left home-shaped shells and invoices totaling their obligations” (ll. 121-123). This functions as a foreshadowing element because it announces how Lara will feel about her father at the end (she wil…