Mariam
main protagonist, grew up outside of Herat, called a harami/bastard, victim of parental negligence and later domestic abuse. Married Rasheed when she was 15. Sacrifices herself for Laila later in her life, unable to have children (suffered 7 miscarriages)
Nana
Mariam's mother, plagued by epilepsy (the jinn), believes she has been cursed with a disobedient, worthless daughter, she was shunned after she has Mariam, hanged herself when Mariam left to go see Jalil in Herat. Taught Mariam that women must endure.
Jalil
Mariam's weak but wealthy father, came to see her after she married Rasheed but was not granted admittance, died of a "weak heart," tried to make amends with Mariam through a letter and left her inheritance and a VHS of Pinocchio. He had 3 wives. Had 10 l
Laila
beautiful girl, lived near Rasheed and Mariam, in love with Tariq, had Aziza with Tariq but kept her paternity a secret, had Zalmai with Rasheed, formally and informally educated, sacrifices herself for Mariam. Becomes a teacher at the end and is pregnant
Fairba, Mammy
deeply depressed after losing her sons to war, negligent parent to Laila, died in a bomb blast of her home during the civil war in Afghanistan. Neighbors with Mariam and Rasheed. Refused to leave Kabul until the Mujahideen reined. Early in her life, she n
Hakim, Babi
sweet, kind, educated father, but after the Soviet invasion, he became a factory worker, loved Laila and cared for her, prized education for women over anything else, especially marriage, wanted to go to America, died in a bomb blast during the civil war.
Tariq
Laila's neighbor and best friend/ultimate love interest, lost his leg at age 5 in a land mine in Southern Afghanistan, left the country for Pakistan as a teen to escape war, ended up in prison for 7 years for trafficking drugs. Aziza's father. Worked for
Rasheed
Mariam's & Laila's much older husband, rescued Laila from the rubble of her parents' bombed home, owned a shoe store till it burned down, abusive, threatening, increasingly wicked, suspicious of his wives, adored Zalmai, had a previous marriage and son Yu
Aziza
Tariq and Laila's daughter, born out of wedlock, sweet, timid child, develops a stammer after being in the orphanage, and witnessing war, suffers from PTSD
Zalmai
Rasheed and Laila's son, spoiled, "tells" on his mother for seeing Tariq, but eventually accepts Tariq as his father figure. When Laila was pregnant with him, she considered aborting him because she was worried she wouldn't love him since she hated his fa
Abdul Sharif
Rasheed's friend who is paid to tell Laila that Tariq is dead, comes up with an elaborate lie
Khadim
neighborhood bully who sprays Laila with a urine-filled squirt gun when they are children, Tariq beats him with his prosthetic leg
Giti
Laila's best friend who is the first one she knows killed in a rocket blast/bomb
Hasini
Laila's friend who is married off very young
Sayeed
hotel owner in Pakistan who takes in Tariq, Laila, and their children after they flee Afghanistan
Alyona
Tariq's goat
Mullah Faizullah
Mariam's early teacher, scholar of Islam, sweet and kind to her in her times of need
The Judge
one who sentences Mariam to death for murdering Rasheed, claims that it's been scientifically proven that women are less intelligent than men, claims he must do God's work
Ahmad and Noor
Laila's brothers much older than she, went to war to fight for the Mujahideen when Laila was 2. She never knew them. Both died when she was 9.
Mujahideen
plural of jihad, men who fought for Islam
Herat
city in western afghanistan
Kabul
Capital of Afghanistan
Soviets
what their control looked like when they occupied Kabul
Taliban rules
extremely strict, sexist
Taliban Flamingo
offended by birds long, bare legs, made artist paint on pants
Burqa
full body covering that Rasheed insisted his wives wear while outside of the house
Pakistan
where Tariq's family fled after the civil war erupts
sect
a religious denomination (ex. Tajik and Pashtun�both Islamic, but different sects)