Summary

The coda is written by Marie in the present tense. She begins by imagining the different possible continuations of Ai-ming’s story after their last meeting. She remembers Tofu Liu performing and recording Sparrow’s final sonata.

The coda then describes Ai-ming’s escape from China with the help of Swirl, Wen the Dreamer, and Projectionist Bang. Projectionist Bang tells Ai-ming that he has found a pianist to stitch together the last nine pages of Sparrow's sonata in an attempt to imagine what the entire piece might have sounded like.

Ai-ming successfully crosses the border into Kyrgyzstan and then into Turkey, from which she flies to Toronto. The coda ends with Marie reflecting on the narrative she has written.

Analysis

Through its form and its place in the novel’s greater structure, the coda represents the final convergence of the past with the present...