Characters

• General Taheri
  • Migrains
  • Expects to return to Afghanistan
• Khanum Taheri
  • Former singer
  • Hypochondriac
  • Suffered stroke
• Sharif
  • Khanum Taheri’s brother
  • Worked with INS
  • Poet
• Soraya
  • Angry about her past following her

Locations

• Bernal Heights, San Fran
  • Amir and Soraya move to a new house here
• Furniture Warehouse, Sunnyvale
  • Amir works security here
• Mosque in Hayward
  • Where Baba’s funeral ceremony is held
• San Jose State University
  • where Amir studies english

Dates

• 1988
  • Summer: finishes first novel, sold
• 1989
  • Novel published, book tour
  • Shorawi withdraws from Aghanistn
  • War between Afghans (Mujahedin) and Najibullah
  • Amir and Soraya attempt to have a child
  • Move to new house

Themes/Motifs

Plot

• The families engage in ceremony to agree to marriage
• Baba gives speech
• Baba throws a wedding ceremony
• Soraya and Amir consummate the marriage
• Soraya moves in with Amir and Baba
• Soraya takes care of Baba
• Baba dies
• Baba’s funeral
• They move to apartment
• Amir begins college
• Soraya decides to be a teacher
• Amir sells a book
• Soraya and Amir decide to have a child
• “Unexplained Infertility”
• They decide against adoption

Other Notes

• lafz – the ceremony of “giving word”
• khastegari – ? agreement to marry