The Sorrow of War

by

Bảo Ninh

Ky was a soldier for the North Vietnamese Army who crossed paths with Kien at the very beginning of the war. At the time, Kien was frantically looking for Phuong. The other men in Ky’s unit teased him by claiming that she was off having sex with other soldiers. Kien was so enraged that he pulled a gun on the man who made this joke and then ran off in search of Phuong. Ky and Kien encountered each other later in the war, but Kien didn’t recognize Ky, and Ky didn’t want to shake his focus by mentioning anything about their last meeting. Later, though, Ky wrote to him and informed him that Phuong had come looking for him shortly after Kien ran off. His letter brought Kien great hope for reuniting with Phuong after the war.
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Ky Character Timeline in The Sorrow of War

The timeline below shows where the character Ky appears in The Sorrow of War. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Pages 224-228
Memory, Trauma, and Moving On Theme Icon
Love in Times of Hardship Theme Icon
...Phuong was in a letter from another soldier. It was 1973, and a soldier named Ky wrote to him. Ky and Kien had fought together, but he didn’t tell him at... (full context)
Memory, Trauma, and Moving On Theme Icon
Love in Times of Hardship Theme Icon
The next day, Ky and his unit had to leave, but Phuong wouldn’t go with them, saying instead that... (full context)