Concrete graves in front of Mr. Xuyếns house.

When a Character Dies . . . and You Write Nonfiction

My husband and I were interviewing his mother about her search for her missing sister’s final resting place. Talk of a sister tied to a post by the Việt Cộng and left to drown in the rising tide carries a heaviness, but Má’s eyes lit up at being able to tell her story. To be heard.…

Grandfather’s Death

I touch Grandfather’s arm. He still feels warm. I look for him to make the slightest motion to show his soul is around. There’s nothing. Two men place the coffin on sawhorses so that Grandfather’s head points west. The dead always face the setting sun. The date the monks said would be best for burying…