The Best We Could Do

Thi is the narrator of The Best We Could Do, although, she is not actually the protagonist of the book: It is more fitting to call the entire Bui family the protagonist of the book. Thi’s position as both the focal point and an auxiliary character during much of the book’s action shifts the focus away from Thi singularly and toward the collective life of the Bui family. This narrative and character-based convention reflects Bui’s desire to move away from a childish selfishness about what her parents owed her and toward a compassionate understanding of her parents and their lives on their own terms—instead of narrowly defined in relation to herself. This purposeful journey ultimately results in Thi finding peace and fulfillment. Once Thi faces and depicts the complexity of her parents’ lives and sees them as real, full people, she moves beyond her own resentments toward them and into her own future as a mother. 

Hắng, Thi’s mother, is a more prominent presence within the narrative than Nam, Thi’s father. The bookending device of the birth of Thi’s son is grounded in the presence of Hắng, and in Thi’s exploration of the meaning and responsibility of motherhood.