Sidi

Sidi is one of the novel's primary characters. In the narrative present, Sidi lives on the outskirts of the Nawa village, where he leads a private life and tends to his bees. When Sidi wakes up one morning and discovers thousands of his bees have been massacred by a mysterious predator, he begins despairing. Questioning his fellow villagers provides him with no illuminating information. In the days following, he begins watching his hives for hours at a time. Eventually, he catches the culprit: a giant Asian hornet. After observing the invaders attack his bees once more, Sidi tries to devise a plan.

Meanwhile, Sidi becomes worried about the fate of his village. Ever since the Party of God came to power, he has feared that the past is repeating himself. As a young man, he witnessed other leaders manipulate his people in the name of God. When he...