The City We Became

by

N. K. Jemisin

Mrs. Yu Character Analysis

Padmini’s neighbor in Jackson Heights, Queens, Mrs. Yu is an elderly Chinese woman who suffers from osteoporosis and owns a backyard swimming pool. To capture Padmini, the Woman in White boobytraps the bottom of Mrs. Yu’s swimming pool with tendrils while Mrs. Yu’s two grandsons are playing in it. Padmini comes to save them, exposing herself to danger.
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Mrs. Yu Character Timeline in The City We Became

The timeline below shows where the character Mrs. Yu appears in The City We Became. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 7: The Thing in Mrs. Yu’s Pool
Community, Diversity, and Prejudice Theme Icon
...subway, feels at one with the train, and then senses something wrong in her neighbor Mrs. Yu ’s backyard. Mrs. Yu’s grandsons are playing in her small backyard pool when its bottom... (full context)
Beliefs, Concepts, and Stereotypes Theme Icon
...Aunty, and pictures equations rendering the fastest trip to the pool. She’s suddenly transported to Mrs. Yu ’s backyard. She hauls one boy from the pool. As Mrs. Yu enters the backyard,... (full context)
Cities and Gentrification Theme Icon
Community, Diversity, and Prejudice Theme Icon
Beliefs, Concepts, and Stereotypes Theme Icon
...mechanics, imagines a lubricant between the boy and the tendrils. This trick allows Padmini and Mrs. Yu to pull the boy free. Padmini is overjoyed to have succeeded but also to have... (full context)
Cities and Gentrification Theme Icon
Community, Diversity, and Prejudice Theme Icon
Ethics and Nature Theme Icon
Beliefs, Concepts, and Stereotypes Theme Icon
Manny and Brooklyn arrive at Mrs. Yu ’s backyard. Manny sees damage to our reality surrounding the pool and smells ocean. He... (full context)
Beliefs, Concepts, and Stereotypes Theme Icon
Mrs. Yu opens the door and asks Manny, partly in English and partly in Chinese, whether he’s... (full context)