Tell Me How It Ends: Coda Summary & Analysis

Luiselli writes that it’s now 2017. She has received her green card, and Donald Trump is president. She feels as if the world is “upside fucking down,” though she also thinks that what happened could have been predicted. “I am a novelist,” she writes, “which means my mind is trained to read the world as part of a narrative plot, where some events foreshadow others.” For this reason, she feels as if she failed to properly read the political landscape that eventually led to Donald Trump’s presidency. However, she has moments of hope, like when TIIA organizes events to advocate for immigrants. The group’s first “public action” was on the day of the first presidential debate in 2016, which took place at Hofstra. TIIA members protested outside wearing t-shirts Luiselli ordered that said “Refugees Welcome Here.” Shortly thereafter, TIIA organized a soccer game, which Manu attended, much to Luiselli’s delight.

Luiselli writes that Manu has received special immigrant juvenile status. He has also become a member of a church community “where he feels welcome,” and he has relationships with mentors at an anti-gang organization in Long Island called S.T.R.O.N.G. Furthermore, he’s strengthening his English skills with TIIA and attending the occasional pickup soccer game that they organize. Simply put, he’s doing well.