Summary

Chapter 1 opens in the year 1995, in Karachi, Pakistan. Anvar Faris is a young boy in a Muslim family, and he sometimes feels uncertain about this relationship to Islam. For example, during the holiday of Eid, Anvar’s father—Imtiaz—has Anvar ceremonially kill a goat. Anvar does so, but he dislikes the experience. Anvar’s father explains that Anvar’s discomfort is valuable, and that it actually reinforces the idea that one should never harm another person. Anvar’s older brother, Aamir, shows much more knowledge and certainty in his practice of Islam. Anvar’s mother—Bariah—is also a very devout Muslim, as well as a generally strict and domineering parent. They also live with Anvar’s maternal grandmother, Naani Jaan, who is the only person who seems to prefer Anvar to Aamir. Naani teaches Anvar how to play checkers, and she...