The novel takes place in Tanzania, in the '90s, in a moment of rapid change. The government had recently changed its foreign exchange laws, and so tourists are flocking to Zanzibar – its island just off the coast of East Africa. The author has said that the big money of tourism brought with it new hotels, new people, NGOs. But the influx of tourists also brought corruption as well--beaches and restaurants exclusively for tourists – no locals allowed.
There are three characters around which the novel is constructed, each of them of approximately equal importance to the narrative.
The story begins with Raya, a beautiful teenage girl married off to a contractor in his 40s who is intolerably violent to her. When their son, Karim, is 3, Raya says enough and moves back to her parents’ house. Gossips be damned, she must protect her son. She soon discovers a life of her own, finds a rich new partner and abandons Karim to the care of her mother.
Karim grows up and the story centers on him, the educated and arrogant man he has become, his young wife, Fauzia, who suffers from epilepsy, and Badar, a young servant who was dropped off at Raya's house when he was 13-years old and whom the other two treat almost like a younger sibling. They all come from different worlds, and yet they have something in common. Rightfully or wrongfully, they all feel unwanted by their parents in some way.
It is a slow paced story that takes some getting used to, but patience is rewarded in the end.
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