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1. How does the narrator describe Mariam's discovery that she was an unwanted child in Chapter 1?

Mariam is an illegitimate child, born to Nana after she had an affair with Jalil, in whose house she worked as a maid. Mariam recalls having broken her mother's teapot, and her mother called her "a clumsy little harami (bastard)" when Mariam was five years old.

2. How would you describe Mariam's relationship with each of her parents in Chapter 1?

Mariam is at an age where she finds her father fascinating, as he represents the world beyond the limits of the kolba and hills. Her mother is unhappy about her regard for her father, and it seems like there will be some tension about how this relationship between Mariam and Jalil goes forward.

3. What discrepancy is seen between Nana's and Jalil's descriptions of Mariam's birth in Chapter 2?

Nana tells Mariam that Jalil had not bothered to summon a doctor when she gave birth to Miriam in 1959. Jalil tells Mariam a different version of the story, which Mariam prefers. When Mariam asks Jalil, he agrees that Nana's story is correct, but he says that he rode over immediately when she was born.

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