Má and Bố’s first daughter, who falls sick and dies in infancy for unknown reasons possibly relating to adulterated baby formula. Her death devastates Má and Bố, who never fully forgive themselves for it and decide to move from Sài Gòn to the Mekong Delta in an attempt to move on. Her name means “GREAT RIVER.” When Thi Bui’s infant son is sick with jaundice in the hospital, Bui asks Má about Quyên’s death in case she is about to go through the same kind of loss.
Get the entire The Best We Could Do LitChart as a printable PDF.
Giang Quyên Character Timeline in The Best We Could Do
The timeline below shows where the character Giang Quyên appears in The Best We Could Do. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 2: Rewind, Reverse
...of portraits. There are her parents, Má and Bố, and then her siblings, two of whom—Quyên and Thảo—are depicted as shadows. The other siblings, from oldest to youngest, are Lan, Bích...
(full context)
...jealous spirits will come take the baby away,” but Má and Bố name her Giang Quyên, “a name that sounded like and meant GREAT RIVER.” Má and Bố’s families are divided...
(full context)
Chapter 6: The Chessboard
Despite Má’s dashed expectations, she is excited about her first baby with Bố—but when Quyên dies, Má and Bố leave Sài Gòn to go teach in a rural town in...
(full context)
Chapter 10: Ebb and Flow
...gets jaundice, and has to stay in the hospital. Worried, she asks Má about Giang Quyên’s death, and Má remembers Quyên’s last smile to her before passing away. Travis and Thi...
(full context)
