Chapters 7-8 Summary and Analysis

In "Journey's End," Sultana returns from her trip to learn her mother is dying. Sultana and her sisters remain by their mother's side until the end comes. After her death, Mother is buried in an unmarked grave in the middle of the desert as is the tradition in their country. Sultana made an attempt to be happy at the burial because in their culture, to grieve over the death of loved one is to show disrespect to God. In "Girlfriends," Sultana's father decided to marry again to bring the number of his wives back to four. Father married Randa, a woman Sultana set out to dislike because she was a replacement for her mother but discovered she could not dislike her. Randa was young, only a few years older than Sultana, and frightened. Sultana befriended Randa and allowed her...