Genre
Algerian fiction
Setting and Context
Kabul in an unspecified time period
Narrator and Point of View
An unnamed, third-person omniscient narrator tells the story.
Tone and Mood
The tone is emotional; the mood is uplifting.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Atiq is the protagonist; the Taliban is the antagonist.
Major Conflict
The major conflict of the novel occurs when Atiq discovers that his wife has become very sick and will soon die.
Climax
The climax of the story is reached when Atiq is comforted by Nazeesh, whose father is sick, so he is able to relate to Atiq.
Foreshadowing
The death of Musarrat is foreshadowed by the fact that she is very ill and only had months to live.
Understatement
The role of hope during tough times is understated throughout the novel.
Allusions
The story alludes to life in Kabul while the threat of the Taliban looms.
Imagery
The imagery of isolated and loneliness is present in the novel.
Paradox
N/A
Parallelism
There is a parallel between Atiq's job as a jailer and the fact that he has mentally imprisoned himself.
Metonymy and Synecdoche
The tight handcuffs are a metonym for the suffering of the prisoners.
Personification
N/A
