Tarek's Office

A scene in Tarek’s office opens each of the novel’s six parts, and reappears between if characters visit it. It provides Tarek with a private space in which to review Yehya’s file, and becomes the site of his turbulent efforts to define his moral convictions. Two more of his most important moral tests appear here. First, the meeting with Yehya and Amani in which he lies about the fate of Yehya’s x-ray, and finally, the moment when he overcomes his doubt at last and makes his decision to act. Tarek is so rarely depicted outside of his office that his visit to the queue in Part Six represents a significant break from the norm.

The Streets

Comparatively little of the novel’s action occurs indoors because daily life in the queue takes place entirely in the city’s streets. Their cleanliness or chaos...