Mourid Barghouti
Barghouti narrates his own memoir. After leaving Ramallah, Palestine to attend university in Cairo, Egypt, he is unable to return to his home because of the Six Day War. In reality, he is not allowed to re-enter Palestine for 30 years, meaning Barghouti is in his fifties by the time he sees his homeland again. During his exile he travels the world, observing how people live in different places yet are everywhere basically the same. He longs at every moment to return to his home and his family, but when he finally does return everything is different. That image he had cherished of what "home" should look like was incompatible, being a snapshot of a single moment. In all of his longing, Barghouti had neglected to consider the effects of time on everything -- physical environment, people's decisions, etc.
Adli
Adli is a child, a relative of Barghouti's back home. When Israel invaded Palestine, the soldiers occupied many local schools in an attempt to disperse insurrection. Adli is a victim of Israeli violence, carried home to his mother's arms by his schoolmates who had survived.
Barghouti's Brother
Barghouti admired his older brother, but he never sees him again after leaving for Cairo. His brother also was outside Palestine when the war broke out, but he immediately tried to return. He was rejected the next day and then again a few months later. According to Barghouti, the displacement was simply unbearable. His brother dies alone.
