Chapter 7 Summary

Hasina is writing from Dhaka, Bangladesh. The first letter begins with a Prayer of Light to comfort Nazneen and Chanu in the wake of Raqib's death. Subsequent letters tell the story, over a period of 13 years, of Hasina's life in Dhaka. The letters also give us clues about what is happening in Nazneen's life at the same time.

1988 (3 letters) There is unrest in Dhaka. The workers are on strike, but Hasina is fine. She has a job at a garment factory and her landlord, Mr. Chowdhury, is like a father to her. He is going to fix the plaster on her walls and the leaks in her roof at the rooming house. Some of Hasina's new friends at work include; Shahnaz, who is educated and quite modern; Aleya, whose husband is always there to pick her up after work; and Renu, a widow...