Elishva Tadros

Elishva is an old woman living alone in Bataween, still suffering emotionally from the loss of her son who went missing 20 years before the events of the novel. Her two daughters live in Australia and repeatedly try to convince her to move in with them, as Baghdad is in upheaval and it is not safe for her there. When Elishva is visited by the Whatsitsname, she believes he is her son Daniel finally returned, and she cooks for him and dresses him in Daniel's clothes. At the end of the novel, Elishva is finally convinced by her grandson, who is also named Daniel and bears a striking resemblance to his namesake uncle, to go to Australia.

Since Elishva is old, eccentric, and a little senile, her neighbors in Bataween frequently gossip about her, suggesting she possesses some sort of mystical power. One of her neighbors even claims...