How we cite our quotes: (Part.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
As soon as she was in Mariam's arms, Aziza's thumb shot into her mouth and she buried her face in Mariam's neck. […] Mariam had never before been wanted like this. Love had never been declared to her so guilelessly, so unreserved. (3.35.5-6)
Hold on—keep reading just a little bit longer before you start looking up cute baby videos on YouTube. Before this moment, Mariam had never experienced unconditional love from someone else. But Aziza is innocent and pure—and she doesn't care that Mariam is a harami. This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.
Quote #5
The past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin poisonous flowers began to sprout in the parched land of that field, Mariam uprooted them. (3.35.26)
Now we see why Mariam is so unhappy. She has loved plenty of people during her life: Jalil, Mullah Faizullah, even Nana. But she always ends up disappointed. Like Pavlov's dog, Mariam has been conditioned to expect rejection whenever she experiences love.
Quote #6
Somehow, over these last months, Laila and Aziza—a harami [illegitimate child] like herself, as it turned out—had become extensions of her and now, without them, the life Mariam had tolerated for so long suddenly seemed intolerable. (3.35.27)
Here, we see the transformative power of love. Laila has just told Mariam that she wants Mariam to escape with her, and Mariam is mulling over her decision. Mariam has been with Rasheed for so long, but Laila and Aziza have opened her up to a whole new way to experience life.