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Bilal
Nabila is an indentured servant at the Khan estate who’s about the same age as Amal. She’s initially cruel and hateful to Amal, playing tricks on Amal to get her in trouble—and Amal eventually learns that this is because Nabila is jealous and insecure, as Amal has taken her place as Nasreen Baji’s maidservant. Eventually, with Mumtaz’s coaching, Nabila lets go of her animosity, and she and Amal become friends. Nabila is somewhat jaded and cynical about her and Amal’s prospects: Nabila’s parents “traded” her to the Khans to pay for her sister’s dowry, and in Nabila’s understanding, her parents greedily condemned her to a life of servitude and have since forgotten about her. She’s also proud, rejecting any of Amal or Mumtaz’s offers to teach her to read. However, she shares Amal’s belief that they must do something about the Khans to loosen the family’s grip on power, so she supports Amal going to Asif about the information that she, Amal, and Bilal turned up about the murder Jawad Sahib committed.
Nabila Quotes in Amal Unbound
The Amal Unbound quotes below are all either spoken by Nabila or refer to Nabila. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 19 Quotes
I carried the tray back down the stairs to the kitchen and thought about Nabila. It was clear she despised me almost since the moment I arrived. But it made sense now. My life had changed overnight—and hers had, too.
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Chapter 24 Quotes
“When I first came here, I sat by those flowers any chance I got.” She pointed to a flush of purple in the distance. “I don’t know their names, but they grew next to my parents’ house. I would look at them, really fixate on them, and for a little while I could pretend I was home.”
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“The youngest of seven girls is what happened to her,” Nabila said. “Dumped her here when she was six years old. Still remember the day,” Nabila said. “She curled up in a corner of the servants’ quarters. I think Hamid must have looked like her father, because out of all of us, she went running straight into his arms and clutched him tight. Called him Baba. Never saw him crack any real emotion until then. He’s watched over her like she’s his own since then.”
It wasn’t fair, I wanted to say.
But didn’t my father always say life wasn’t fair?
Now I understood just how right he was.
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Chapter 30 Quotes
“It’s not fair,” I said. “Why should anyone have to figure him out?”
“No, it’s not fair. But that’s life.”
There it was yet again, my father’s words: Life isn’t fair. Maybe it was true, but why was that a reason to just accept everything and go along with it? I hoped the rumor about the girl turning down Jawad Sahib was true. I hoped there really was someone out there who had the courage to stand up to him and say no.
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Nabila Character Timeline in Amal Unbound
The timeline below shows where the character Nabila appears in Amal Unbound. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 16
...in, and the driver, Ghulam, drops Amal in the foyer with two teenagers, Bilal and Nabila. The teens argue about what to do with Amal and finally decide that Nabila will...
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Chapter 17
Back in the kitchen, Nabila drops a heavy pot of food before Amal can offer to help. Perplexingly, Nabila then...
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Chapter 19
...As Amal pours the chai, Fatima offers to get a cup so Amal can try it—Nabila always told her that it’s okay to sneak stuff if nobody finds out. Nearby, Nabila...
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Amal hurries to Nasreen Baji’s room, where Nasreen is telling Nabila that Nabila isn’t her servant anymore. Nabila bumps into Amal on her way out of...
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Chapter 20
A few days later, Amal ignores Nabila’s dirty looks and rests for a moment in the kitchen. But Fatima appears and says...
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...when Amal turns to walk away, he insists she won’t ever fit in by letting Nabila win and letting insults hurt her. Ghulam says, in a pitying voice, that Amal lives...
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Chapter 21
...Nasreen Baji tells Amal that she knows Amal didn’t burn the kamiz; she has punished Nabila. She then compliments the roses that Amal put in a vase, and Amal shares that...
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Later, Amal goes looking for Mumtaz. She passes Nabila and stares the girl right in the eyes. Eventually, Amal finds a room she hasn’t...
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Chapter 22
...The girl arranges the cookies, chattering about the expensive chocolate ones Nasreen serves her sons. Nabila tells Fatima to get her onions, and Amal purposefully breaks a cookie so Fatima can...
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Chapter 24
From the verandah, Amal sees a cat. Nabila appears and offers the cat milk. The cat’s name is Chotu, and she’s been Nabila’s...
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Amal notes that at least Fatima has her father, but Nabila reveals that Hamid isn’t Fatima’s father. Fatima was the youngest of seven girls, and her...
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Chapter 25
...garden, exhausted from a night of massaging Nasreen Baji’s head. She can’t stop thinking about Nabila’s words—or her family. She cries, wondering why she lost her temper that day in the...
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Chapter 26
When Amal steps into the house, she hears Jawad Sahib shouting at Nabila, accusing the girl of helping Amal run away. Before he can hit Nabila, Amal rushes...
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Chapter 27
Mumtaz and Nabila enter, and with prodding, Nabila apologizes. She says Amal ruined everything and now, Nasreen Baji...
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Chapter 29
...there’s a “parade” of officers coming through recently. As Amal is cleaning up, Bilal and Nabila approach. Bilal thanks her for “sav[ing]” him, and they both offer to help Amal borrow...
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Chapter 30
Later, Nabila invites Amal to join her and Mumtaz outside for a break. Remembering Amma’s advice to...
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The conversation continues. As they discuss Amal teaching Fatima to read, Mumtaz suggests that Nabila learn to read, too. But Nabila changes the subject to Jawad Sahib’s trouble finding a...
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Chapter 31
...Unwilling to go alone, Nasreen tells Amal to pack snacks and get ready to go. Nabila helps Amal pack and gives her advice on how to manage the heavy bags, and...
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Chapter 40
A few days later, Amal, Nabila, and Bilal watch Nasreen Baji sitting silently on the verandah with a cold cup of...
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Chapter 41
...learn the Khans kill people. Will Fozia and her family be okay? Then, Amal realizes Nabila is behind her. Nabila shushes Amal: who knows who’s listening.
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Chapter 42
That evening, Mumtaz tells Amal that Nabila isn’t behaving normally. She’s not eating and is crying. Amal offers to talk to Nabila,...
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Bilal scolds Nabila for digging up the information—nothing will change just because she knows what happened. Amal suggests...
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Chapter 45
...“change, no matter how good and necessary, came with a price.” She goes to find Nabila and Bilal in Nabila’s room. The three discuss the reporters everywhere and that none of...
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Chapter 46
...other at the market, since their villages are so close. Fatima follows Hamid away. Then, Nabila offers Amal some snacks and shares that she’s going to live with a cousin. Amal...
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