Lhamo

Lhamo is one of the main characters and first person narrators of the novel. All of the chapters appearing within the subsections labeled “Lhamo” are written from her first person point of view, and thus dictated by her experiences, thoughts, and feelings.

Lhamo is born in a small village on the border of Western Tibet and Nepal. She lives with her mother, father, and younger sister Tenkyi in this region until the People’s Liberation Army invades the land. Realizing that the Gyami will steal their home and destroy their way of life, Lhamo’s family and community flee to Nepal. For many years, Lhamo’s childhood is dictated by her people’s wanderings from one Nepali region to another. They eventually settle in Pokhara and establish the Tsemo Seymakar Tibetan Refugee Settlement. Lhamo ends up spending the rest of her life in this camp.

When Lhamo is...