Summary

The novel opens with the narrator telling how when Salma saw Alia’s coffee dregs, she knew she had to lie to her daughter about their meaning. The narrator goes on to describe the coffee cup, and how Salma bought it at a market because it came with a tray that reminded her of a tray her own mother bought for her. We are told that Salma and her husband Hussam had to leave their home for some reason. The narrator tells of how Salma usually waits ten minutes for the coffee dregs to dry, but with Alia she could not wait that long. The description moves onto how Salma has been preparing for Alia’s wedding and wants everything to be perfect. Salma’s eldest daughter, Widad, had had a very plain wedding and was emotional because her father had died...