Last week we began to discuss the confusion Hayat feels around Mina, and next week we'll continue to discuss the sexualized nature of their relationship next Wednesday. But today, we're thinking a lot about childhood.
HuffPost Books community member trishwc says, "Remember, that he was deeply in love and was very invested in this conversion. That he was speaking about Islam through his heart. To denigrate Islam, which represented his love and his devotion could certainly cause him to erupt in a way that would normally not be consistent with his character.
It did ring true to me.”
Henderkyle replies, "Just read the part where the men have a political discussion after dinner. Found it to be a powerful scene demonstrating how people can take samples of religious text and create their own meaning. It was smartly followed by the story of the young Jewish boy at Hayat's school. He too had religious beliefs he felt strongly about. Completely different from what Hayat had heard before."
There's no doubt we all feel for Hayat with the strained relationship to his mother, his father and in turn, his own identity, but how does that relate to the other child in the household, Mina's son Imram? Who does he relate most to and what does this say about his childhood experience? How are the two growing up differently, yet in the same house?