Chapters 1-7 Summary

In Chapter 1, Miriam is an illegitimate child, born to Nana after she had an affair with Jalil, in whose house she worked as a maid. Miriam recalls having broken her mother's teapot, and her mother called her "a clumsy little harami (bastard)" (p. 4). When Miriam was older, she understood what the word meant not so much from a literal definition as by her mother's tone. It meant she was unwanted or a weed. Miriam's mother is always cursing and complaining, but her father, Jalil, is an easy-going man who tells her about the places he has seen, and the famous poets. Nana is upset by the stories Jalil tells Miriam, because she envies him his wealth and power. Jalil has three wives and nine legitimate children, and owns a cinema. Nana tells Miriam that Jalil had pointed the finger at her...