Karachi

Karachi is the capital and most populous city in the country of Pakistan. Anvar is born and raised in Karachi. He lives with his parents, older brother, and maternal grandmother. Anvar’s older brother, Aamir, is generally the favored child, as he is more devout and is better behaved. However, Anvar has a close rapport with his grandmother. Eventually, the family moves to America to escape rising violence in Karachi, but the grandmother is too old to go with them.

Iraq

Safwa is born and raised in Baghdad, Iraq. Eventually, her mother and brother both die of illness during the Iraq War. Around the same time period, Abu is temporarily kidnapped and tortured by the U.S. military. Safwa and Abu eventually flee from Iraq. Later, they encounter Qais, who helps them flee to the U.S. as undocumented immigrants.

San Francisco

A majority of the novel takes...