“I’m all you have in this world Mariam, and when I’m gone you’ll have nothing. You ARE nothing!”

“I’ll die if you go. The Jinn will come, and I’ll have one of my fits. You’ll see, I’ll swallow my tongue and die. Don’t leave me, Mariam jo. Please stay. I’ll die if you go.”

“Look at me, Mariam.'Reluctantly, Mariam did.Nana said, 'Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man's accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam.”

“Perhaps this is just punishment for those who have been heartless, to understand only when nothing can be undone.”

“Learn this now and learn it well. Like a compass facing north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always. You remember that, Mariam.”

“Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don't have to say anything”

“Though there were moments of beauty, Mariam knew for the most part that life had been unkind to her.”