There is no doubt that a lot of things in this story don’t make sense. Single sentences that last an entire page, magical doors that can transport you across the world, and all of this in the middle of a very realistic, devastating war… huh?? This story is very unlike others I’ve ever read and, personally, it took many chapters for me to really understand what Hamid was trying to do.

However, what I was able to catch on to early on was Nadia’s unique character. Her first real introduction to the readers with dialogue is short, yet expository. After Saeed asks her to have coffee, Nadia questions if he says his “evening prayers” (4). Taken aback and feeling pressured to excuse himself, Saeed rambles on until Nadia interrupts him, claims, “I don’t pray,” suggests “maybe another time” (5), and then rides away on a motorcycle. So random and unexpected, but it’s fascinating.

As we learn more about Nadia’s character, we learn more about her independence. It took a lot of strength and bravery for her to make the decision to leave her family and start a life on her own, let alone do it in the world she was living in. Her past has shaped her into the woman she is, and it is a shock to a lot of the people she encounters, including Saeed. I feel like she is the perfect representation of “don’t judge a book by its cover,” and it’s one of the main aspects of this story that keeps me curious. I love Nadia’s effect on not only the characters in the story, but also me, as a reader. She’s a very sublty inspiring character. As she should be.