Sookan is the narrator and main character of "Year of Impossible Goodbyes." Sookan is about ten years old at the start of the book, and she is a very good child, who tries to be obedient and helpful to her family. Although she is a child in many ways, she has grown up surrounded by the oppression of war, so she understands some adult ideas all too well, like self-sacrifice, hard work, and hunger.