Trauma

Trauma is a salient element of Nuri and Afra’s experiences, and the novel uses these experiences to demonstrate how many refugees endure psychological tolls due to their circumstances. For example, in Afra’s case, she experiences deep trauma after witnessing her son being killed by a bomb in Syria. Afra becomes blind after this event, and it seems apparent that her blindness is caused by psychological trauma rather than physical injury: “It wasn’t the bomb that blinded me. I saw Sami die. And that’s when it all went black” (212). Afra’s blindness, along with the suicidal despair she feels, reflects the depth and severity with which traumatic events can affect one’s physical and mental health. If Nuri had not been present to urge Afra out of Syria, then Afra might simply have let herself die. Thus, the narrative illustrates how emotional trauma...