The characters could hardly be more varied. Not one to stereotype, Staples presents a broad range of personalities to develop her story. Women are depicted as kind and loving (Mama, Shabanu's mother); as jealous and supercilious (Auntie, Shabanu's aunt by marriage); and even as pragmatic and independent (Sharma, Shabanu's favorite aunt, who has left an abusive husband and refuses to force her daughter to marry). Shabanu herself is vivacious and independent, yet her sister, Phulan, appears quite passive and mild mannered. The male characters also exhibit various traits. Dadi (Shabanu's father) is loving and kind but demanding. Rahim (Shabanu's fiance) is decent, kind, and generous, but his brother Nazir is possessive, greedy, lustful, even murderous. The family is all important; without various members to help out in the harsh desert conditions, survival would be impossible.

A common misconception about Islam, which Staples corrects, concerns arranged marriages...