Omar slipped the note through a hole in the wall…
Kathmiya rubbed the hot tears off of her face with…
Like all families in heat-drenched Basra, Shafiq’s did not sit…
It wasn’t new dresses, smooth clay pots, her own thatched…
“Did you do anything special for fun when you were…
After she had been scolded by her employer in front…
With their older brothers both on the same soccer team,…
Fatimah was already in her new home, leaving Kathmiya one…
Just as Kathmiya started understanding the world around her, it…
The United Kingdom: tight, disciplined, orderly. Civilized.
The streets were quiet, but inside the house where Kathmiya…
After Kathmiya slipped out of his front door, Shafiq felt…
Basra was tear-stained, but Baghdad was blood-splattered.
It was another quiet morning in Salim’s house when he…
Like the swirled designs on the rugs she beat, Kathmiya’s…
The crowd of family members ambled down the dusty street…
While the guests watched the vows at the wedding, Kathmiya…
Getting ready to bike over to Leah and Salim’s house,…
Kathmiya was fascinated by letters. She stared at the books…
More than his school exams on chemistry and the Koran,…
Leah was swelling up. The only thing bigger than her…
If Shafiq were the king or the regent or the…
Kathmiya sang a song that didn’t exist. She twirled around…
A large copper sign engraved with the seal of the…
Arriving at the rooftop, where he knew Kathmiya would be…
The next time she went home, Kathmiya was determined to…
Shafiq was hoping to play backgammon with one of his…
“In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate.”
Shafiq had nothing but disgust for Marcelle as she stood…
Kathmiya might be just a single girl, but she was…
Every time a ball bounced that hadn’t been kicked by…
The next time he saw Kathmiya, Shafiq brought a note.
“Moon Over Miami is coming to Ashar—finally!” Shafiq boomed as…
So many people visited Salim’s buzzing living room, Kathmiya was…
Just days after Marcelle’s warning, the year 1947 began with…
The house was finally peaceful.
When Omar came back, Shafiq asked for the straight story.
It turned out the old principal was right. One by…
As Kathmiya walked to the brick house that Jamila cleaned,…
Shafiq was the one who left, but she was so…
It is all horribly wrong, Kathmiya realized as soon as…
Shafiq had a foreboding sense that Kathmiya was far gone,…
It didn’t take Kathmiya long to find the flag. Although…
Each day that passed dimmed the chances that Shafiq would…
Without Ali’s support, Kathmiya had no one to present her…
The court was pungent with people. There were obviously criminal…
Kathmiya went into labor slowly, contractions coming randomly and infrequently…
They met at a new café in Ashar that was…
“Please,” Shafiq said, kissing Jamila’s hand and then lowering himself…