Chapters 9-16 Summary

Except for Ahmad, the whole family gathers toward sunset for "coffee hour." Yasin shares items from his current reading, but story-hungry Kamal pushes for more. Kamal hates waiting for "tomorrow" and being ignored when he tells exaggerated stories. He and Yasin enjoy picking on Khadija's large nose, but Fahmy and Amina try to stick to topics at hand. When rebuked for swearing to the truth of his bus story, Kamal worries about such a sin. Fahmy talks about the state of the European War. Yasin cares less about politics. As the conversation drags, Yasin goes out. Kamal envies Yasin's freedom.

In Chapter 10 Fahmy and Kamal sit at dusk on the roof, reviewing Kamal's lessons while allowing Fahmy to watch neighbor Maryam at chores. Fahmy knows better than to mention Maryam because of his father's harsh code. Chapter 11 sees Kamal bored studying...