What We All Long For

Photographs in the novel are significant both as processes of documentation, but also of memory and discovery. Quy exists in only a couple of photographs, for example, one of which was sent all over the world in an attempt to find him. Some of Quy’s earliest memories, on the other hand, are of trying to get his picture taken in the hopes that someone would see him and want to take him out of the refugee camp. Tuyen is drawn to photographs as memories, at one point leaving a photograph she finds and wants to incorporate into a project in the ATM booth, knowing that someone might return for it. Lastly, it is, of course, through Tuyen’s camera that she realizes Binh has found Quy. However, Tuyen initially doesn’t recognize her brother, suggesting that the camera also functions as a distancing device.

As with Tuyen’s camera, Carla’s bicycle functions as a recurring, personal symbol of importance. Of course, Carla earns her living on her bicycle as a courier, so it’s important for that reason. However, the bike also represents freedom for her, as it allows her to work out her feelings and anxieties while being unable to be held down by the constraints of the city.