Chapter 38: Reshmina — Summary and Analysis

⚠️ 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

On the evening of September 11, 2019 — eighteen years to the day after the attacks on the World Trade Center — Reshmina and her father, Baba, are still digging through the rubble of their destroyed home. The sun is nearly down, and their labor has yielded only a torn sleeping mat and a crushed metal pot. The rest of the family — Mor, Marzia, Anaa, and baby Zahir — are camped in the valley below, facing at least one night without a roof, and likely many more.

The American soldiers have remained in the area, calling in Afghan National Army forces to help secure it. A team of Americans is meeting with each family that lost property, arranging financial compensation. Taz, who had left for medical treatment, returns with a duffel bag of blankets, food, and a portable stove. He offers to help clear debris, but his new rifle keeps sliding into his way as he works.

Taz mentions that half the village has already collected their payments and left for Pakistan. Reshmina tells him her family will stay and rebuild, even though she doubts the effort will last — the next invasion will likely destroy their home again. She asks whether America rebuilt its fallen towers. Taz explains that a single new skyscraper now stands at