Complicated Nature of Trust

Through Leila’s fraught relationship with her given family, and the newly discovered kinship of her found family, the author explores the complicated nature of trust. When Leila is a child, she trusts her parents completely. Her innocence and youthful unawareness allows her to see and believe the best in both Suzan and Haroun. She, therefore, never questions that their intentions, guidance, and words are loving and true. Her Aunt Binnaz, however, challenges this innate trust, when she reveals that she in fact gave birth to Leila, not Suzan. Afraid and confused, Leila initially remembers and adopts her parents’ beliefs about her aunt, calling her unstable and dismissing her words. When Leila evidence to validate others of Binnaz’s stories, however, she realizes her aunt is telling the truth. She carries this secret of her birth with her for years, attempting to navigate...