Thien situates the concept of home in every story, whether as a house from the past, another country, the arms of another person, or empty space. Home in Thien’s construction is therefore either literal or symbolic. In the story “House,” home exists in both the house the sisters once lived in and in their relationship with their mother. Both ideas of home are described as an absence. For most of the characters, home is often blurred by memory, distance, and location, as well as by abuse, trauma, and grief.

In the stories that most deal with the concept of immigration, home is often metaphorical. Family represents home in the same way that a home country, or an adopted country like Canada, represents home. The idea of home is not always tactile, but in the mind—it is not always a literal building with family members inside, but a memory, a thought, a yearning. These metaphorical images of home are the most elusive for the characters; yet, at the same time, these symbolic meanings are emotionally felt.

Thien’s use of both a figurative and literal sense of home allows for deeply felt, sometimes tragic experiences for the characters. The characters are everyday people whose idea of home is often complicated by loss or abuse.