Nona Balakian

Nona Balakian is the sister of Gerard and daughter of Diran. Nona is an editor of the New York Times Book Review, as well as the author of several books on American and Armenian writers. Nona, like her sister, enjoys high culture and believes literature is a sign of a cultivated society. Nona is often hostess to a number of writer friends, even in spite of a disfigured spine due to illness as a child. Nona was home educated following the arrival of the Balakians in the United States, and due to her illness, spent most of her time indoors, reading. She gained a love for books that would lead her through the rest of her life, and learned the world through the pages of those books. Peter learns that Nona is well loved in the writing circle not only due to her position at the paper, but also because she helps nurture writers and their works. Nona particularly loves Saroyan, an Armenian writer, and it is Nona that introduces Peter to a more sophisticated world of writing. Again, while Nona does not remember the genocide, her life is largely influence by the event, and as a result, her influence on Peter helps him understand his ancestral roots.