Point of View

The book is written in third person from a somewhat limited omniscient perspective. The perspective is limited only by the character who is the focus at in that chapter. For example, Adel's family interacts with the family of Iqbal after Iqbal returns to Shadbagh to reclaim his property. Adel believes Iqbal's son is lying when he says Adel's father stole the land. When Iqbal throws rocks through the windows at Adel's house, he is taken away by Adel's father and his body guards. Adel never knows for certain what happens to Iqbal, but he surmises that his father killed Iqbal. These limitations are acceptable and the reader is left to decide whether the character's interpretations are correct.

In other cases, gaps in one person's knowledge are answered in the chapters focusing on another character. Pari and Nila leave Kabul after Suleiman's stroke. They never return...