Crime and Punishment, Suicide and Song, pg. 23-40 Summary and Analysis

Sharifa waits in Peshawar while Sultan is still in Kabul. She is not happy in Peshawar. At this point, Sultan has been married to Sonya for two years, and Sharifa for eighteen years. She is handling some of his book business from Peshawar. Everyday Sharifa waits for Sultan to appear. When he does not, she joins the other women for prayer and feast.

The women talk about the beating of sixteen year old Saliqa, who had been receiving notes from a boy through Shabnam, Sharifa's daughter. Saliqa began lying to meet with him. She is found out and considered to have disgraced the family. The women talk of Saliqa's situation and that of other women who have been improperly involved with men. They talk of the story...