40 pages • 1 hour read
Thi BuiA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
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.