Sammar

Sammar is the main character of The Translator. Though the novel is written from the third person point of view, the narrator follows Sammar's experiences, thoughts, and feelings most closely. Sammar was born and raised for the first seven years of her life in Scotland. When she was seven, she traveled back to her parents' homeland in Khartoum, Sudan. During this visit, she met Tarig, Hanan, and Mahasen. She rapidly grew close with them, and began identifying them as her true family, and Khartoum as her true home.

Years later, after she and Tarig married, they moved back to Aberdeen, Scotland. Shortly after Sammar gave birth to their son, Amir, Tarig died in a car accident. Overcome by grief, Sammar returned to Khartoum, with no intention of ever going back to Aberdeen. She did not, however, anticipate her aunt's hostility or rejection. She left Amir with her family...