Chapter 10 Summary and Analysis

Sultana and her family are resting after the wedding at their villa in Cairo. It is revealed that, in addition to taking passports from his father's safe, Abdullah also took close to a million dollars. Affected by the plight of war wounded in Lebanon, Abdullah donated nearly this entire sum to a Lebanese hospital. Kareem is angry, but at the same time somewhat proud of his son for this charity. Abdullah is optimistic about war-torn Lebanon and its ability to recover from war, while Kareem is pessimistic about the country's prospects.

Sultana comments on her permanent housekeeper Fatma, a woman who was pretty and thin in her youth but who has let herself become enormous in her late middle age. Unexpectedly, Fatma begins wailing and praying to God while preparing the family's supper. After much prodding, Fatma reveals the source of...