Aaliya Saleh

Aaliya Saleh is the main character and narrator of this novel. She is an introvert who has devoted her life to translating novels into Arabic. She was born when her mother was only sixteen. Her father, who loved her and gave her the name Aaliya, died when Aaliya was not even two years old. Aaliya’s mother remarried and had five more children. Aaliya felt out of place in the family. She grew up to believe she was unnecessary in her family. She was married when she was sixteen to a man who was not a good match for her. Among his failings, he was impotent and blamed his impotency on Aaliya. He divorced her before they’d been married even four years. When he left Aaliya, he did her the favor of letting her stay in the apartment.

Because she was a female, however, Aaliya’s...