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Back The Year the Maps Changed Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Dedication
  4. Epigraph
  5. Map
  6. Prologue
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. Acknowledgments
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

Sam got up from his seat and went to Anika’s other side, reached out his own hand—so much smaller than Luca’s—and said the name again and again. “Drumlin, Drumlin, hello there, Drumlin. . . .”

They were like a picture. A look-up-the-definition-in-the-dictionary, kinda perfect picture of one big happy family.

And I suddenly felt lost—a little out of frame, or off the map completely.

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11

No-Man’s-Land

The following week, Jed invited me over for dinner because his mom, Vi, was making my favorite beef and noodle soup called phở.

His dad, Khoa, was in Sydney on business—he did something with computers that I don’t think even Jed really understood—but Lily was home and ignoring us as usual. She was upstairs in her room while Jed and I were downstairs playing Nintendo 64 when Vi’s car pulled up. The two of us went to help her bring in the groceries.

“Thank you for having me over, Vi,” I said.

“That’s okay,” she said. “You know you’re always welcome here.”

Vi once told me her name meant “small” or “pretty” in Vietnamese and it suited her. She owned a hairdressing salon in the middle of Sorrento, which was always busy.

“Is your sister upstairs?” Vi asked Jed.

Jed and I were back on the couch. Jed murmured something and bounced where he sat. We were playing Super Mario 64, and every time Mario had to jump onto a floating brick platform, Jed jumped a little too—he couldn’t help it.

“Văn, are you listening to me?”

He rolled his eyes, but only because she couldn’t see. “Yes! And yes! She’s on the phone with her boyfriend!”

We heard a cupboard door slam and then Vi was picking up the phone on their kitchen wall, saying, “Huê․! Huê․! Who is this? . . . Oh, hello, Melissa—yes, Lily has to get off the phone now. Goodbye!”

The same way Jed was Văn at home, his sister was Huê․—which means lily in Vietnamese. Her full name is Ngo․c Huê․ Trần. I never wondered how they could go by so many different names and not get confused, since I was Winifred, Fred, Freddo, plus Winnie once too.

Jed laughed next to me, and I poked him in the ribs. “What?” he said.

“You’re a cheeky boy!” Vi called to him, but not like she was actually mad.

The radio crackled behind us as Vi switched it on and started humming along to some oldies song while she cooked.

The music stopped and a voice came on: “We have breaking news out of southeast Europe.”

Vi turned the volume up and went back to chopping something crunchy.