Point of View

An impersonal narrator tells the stories of Palace Walk as a simple narrative of events. This narrator is privy to character's thoughts and reveals them, particularly when they conflict with what that character is saying out loud or wishes he or she were able to vocalize. A great deal of the novel is given over to dialog, actual and internal.

Authoritarian Ahmad Abd al-Jawad is frequently torn between his perceived need to enforce his iron will and the touching circumstances of his wife, sons, and daughters. He wrestles with his inability to let down his vigilance. When he learns that eldest son is a "chip off the old block," spending his nights in drinking and carousing, Ahmad approves, but when Yasin in desperation rapes servants, Ahmad distances himself, insisting that he enjoys women in a cultivated setting. Yasin burns to tell his father off for his...