Chapter 3 Summary

Laye's mother grew up in a tiny village west of Kouroussa called Tindican. Laye loves to take the two-hour walk to Tindican to stay with his grandmother and uncles. His youngest uncle, a teenager, comes to fetch him occasionally from Kouroussa, and together they turn a two-hour walk into a four-hour walk, enjoying the peaceful trip in the countryside.

When Laye arrives in Tindican his grandmother embraces him and asks about his health and how his parents are doing. She always tells him that he's too skinny from being in the city. She takes him around her village, telling everyone that her "little husband" has arrived and shows him off.

Laye's uncle Lansana inherited the concession when his grandfather died. Lansana has a twin brother but was born first. Under Lansana's jurisdiction, the concession has grown large and prosperous. He is a quiet...