Chapter 2: Reshmina — Right Here, Right Now

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

In September, Reshmina gathers firewood near her Afghan village while practicing counting in English. She misses the number ten, showing her imperfect grasp of the language. Her twin brother Pasoon startles her from behind a bush, pretending to shoot a stick rifle. They joke and wrestle, but their daily lives differ sharply: Pasoon has time for games and only tends goats, while Reshmina works from dawn to dusk hauling water, washing clothes, beating rugs, sweeping floors, feeding animals, cooking, and walking two kilometers to school. Pasoon quit school a year ago.

Pasoon asks why she bothers learning English. Reshmina explains she wants to become a teacher, but Pasoon points out that the man she marries will never let her work. Reshmina acknowledges that in Afghanistan women must obey their husbands, and most men keep wives at home. Her schoolteacher is an unmarried Australian woman, an exception. Reshmina hopes to teach until marriage, but she knows her parents have already arranged for her sister Marzia to marry an older man when Marzia turns sixteen next year. Reshmina herself will be married off when she turns sixteen, five years away. She recalls her eldest sister Hila, who died before she could be married; Hila was like a second mother, telling stories, teaching reading, and playing games.

Pasoon mentions that Darwesh and Amaan, older boys who recently left to join the Taliban, say English will become irrelevant once the Taliban win and Americans leave. Reshmina dismisses them as foolish. The narrative provides background on the Taliban: the word means “student” in Pashto, they began as students of traditional Islamic schools, and they followed a strict interpretation of religious law. During Afghanistan’s civil war in the 1990s, they fought to power. Reshmina’s mother and grandmother told horror stories of Taliban rule: beating men for not growing beards, massacring families, burning schools, public executions, banning girls from school and jobs, beating women who left without a male relative, and selling girls into slavery. The American army drove them out twenty years ago, but the Taliban remain in the mountains, and American and Afghan National Army forces still fight them. The Taliban have become less organized, with varied motivations: some still hold extreme religious views, some want to drive out foreigners, and some are poor boys seeking work, but all hate Americans and the Afghan government.

After this discussion, Reshmina sneaks up on Pasoon, pretending to be a snow leopard, and they wrestle and laugh like they did before Hila died, before Marzia’s marriage was arranged, and before Pasoon started talking about joining the Taliban. They end up lying on their backs, holding hands, and Reshmina wishes she could preserve this moment in a jar, as she feels her childhood slipping away. She thinks of Hila lost, Marzia soon to be married, and Pasoon likely to follow Darwesh and Amaan into the mountains.

Suddenly, from the village, they hear a woman’s cry and a man shouting “Open up!” They run to the edge of the river and see Afghan National Army soldiers in green camouflage pounding on doors, with American soldiers directing them. Reshmina gasps: her village is being raided.

Key Events

Reshmina gathers firewood and practices counting in English, missing the number ten.
Pasoon startles her, and they joke and wrestle.
Pasoon questions why Reshmina studies English; she says she wants to be a teacher.
Reshmina reflects on arranged marriages: Marzia will marry at sixteen, and Reshmina will too.
Reshmina remembers her deceased sister Hila.
Pasoon mentions Darwesh and Amaan joining the Taliban and their dismissal of English.
The chapter provides background on the Taliban’s history and current presence.
The siblings share a tender moment, wishing to freeze time.
A woman’s cry and a man’s shout interrupt; they see Afghan and American soldiers raiding the village.

Character Development

Reshmina: She is hardworking, responsible, and hopeful. She values education and dreams of teaching, despite knowing the odds. She is aware of gender inequality and the inevitability of arranged marriage. She grieves for Hila and fears losing Pasoon to the Taliban. Her desire to preserve the moment shows her longing for childhood innocence.
Pasoon: He is playful and mischievous, but also pragmatic and somewhat cynical. He has quit school and seems influenced by older boys like Darwesh and Amaan. He cares for Reshmina, as shown by helping her pick up sticks and holding her hand, but he also accepts the harsh realities of their world.
Marzia and Hila: Mentioned to illustrate the fate of women in the family. Marzia’s arranged marriage is imminent; Hila’s death is a source of grief.
Darwesh and Amaan: Off-page but influential; they represent the pull of the Taliban for young men.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Gender inequality: The stark contrast between Pasoon’s free time and Reshmina’s endless chores, and the expectation that women must obey husbands and cannot work, highlights systemic sexism.
Education as hope: Reshmina’s English lessons and dream of teaching symbolize hope for a different future, even as that hope is threatened.
Arranged marriage: The arranged marriages of Marzia and Reshmina represent the loss of autonomy and the cyclical nature of women’s lives.
Taliban threat: The Taliban’s history and current presence loom over the village, representing violence, oppression, and the disruption of normal life.
Loss of childhood innocence: The wrestling and hand-holding moment is contrasted with the raid, showing how war and societal pressures strip away childhood.
Sibling bond: Reshmina and Pasoon’s relationship is a source of comfort and joy, but also anxiety as they grow apart.
War and occupation: The presence of Afghan and American soldiers raiding the village shows the immediate impact of conflict.
Grief and memory: Reshmina’s memories of Hila and her wish to preserve the moment reflect the pain of loss and the desire to hold onto the past.
English as opportunity: English represents a path to a better life, but also a point of contention with Taliban ideology.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter establishes the setting, characters, and central conflicts of Reshmina’s storyline. It introduces the twin siblings and their contrasting lives, the oppressive gender norms, the looming threat of the Taliban, and the fragility of peace. The raid at the end is a turning point that thrusts the characters into immediate danger and sets up the novel’s exploration of war’s impact on civilians. It also foreshadows Pasoon’s potential recruitment and Reshmina’s struggle for agency.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Reshmina practice counting in English, and what does her mistake (missing the number ten) reveal about her?

Reshmina practices English because she hopes to become a teacher, a profession that requires the language. Her mistake shows she is still learning and not yet fluent, but also that she is determined to improve despite the obstacles she faces.

How does the chapter contrast the lives of Reshmina and Pasoon, and what does this contrast reveal about gender roles in their society?

Pasoon has time for games and only tends goats, while Reshmina works from morning to night on household chores and still walks to school. This contrast shows that girls are expected to do unpaid domestic labor while boys have more freedom, reflecting the patriarchal structure that limits women’s opportunities.

What does Reshmina’s wish to “capture this moment in a jar” signify, and how does the raid disrupt that wish?

Reshmina’s wish signifies her desire to preserve the fleeting happiness and innocence of her childhood, especially as she anticipates losing her siblings to marriage and the Taliban. The raid shatters that moment, replacing peace with fear and violence, and underscores how war and societal pressures destroy the very things she wants to hold onto.