Summary

Chapter One begins with the first-person narration of protagonist Chan Kim. He describes a recent conflict with his father (Abogee) resulting from Chan’s suggestion that the family leave behind their heavy gold-plated Buddha when they move from Los Angeles to Minnesota. He goes on to describe how much conflict there usually is between him and his father, and how his twin sister Young is generally treated much better. “It always boils down to this,” Chan comments in his narration. “I’m the evil twin, and Young is the good one” (3). As an example, he describes how easily Young took the news of the family’s move, even though she had just been accepted into a youth orchestra as a flautist (i.e., someone who plays the flute). He also describes imagining how his mother (O-Ma) must have felt, “leaving all her...