The Narrator, Ayad Akhtar

Ayad Akhtar is the narrator and principal character of the novel. His name, however, is not made known to the reader until the closing scenes of the novel.

Ayad is born in Wisconsin to Pakistani immigrants. In his childhood he is proud and uncritical of America under the influence of his father from whom he learns his enthusiasm for America. In college, and throughout his adult life he grows more critical and pessimistic about American culture, aligning his views according to those of his college professor, Mary, and his mother, who is nostalgic for life in Pakistan. The events of 9/11 and the ensuing surge of anti-Muslim sentiment in America further alienates him from his American identity. His ambivalence between his American and Pakistani identities comes to inform his career as a writer. He writes and stages plays that deal with the experiences of Muslim Americans...