Aneeka Pasha
Aneeka is Isma’s younger sister and Parvaiz’s twin, and one of the five protagonists of the novel. Aneeka’s character parallels that of Antigone, the heroine of Sophocles’s play Antigone. At the beginning…
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Eamonn Lone
Eamonn is Karamat and Terry Lone’s son, and one of the five protagonists of the novel. Eamonn mirrors the character of Haemon in Antigone. At the beginning of the novel, Eamonn is in Amherst…
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Parvaiz Pasha
Parvaiz is Aneeka’s twin brother, Isma’s younger brother, and one of the five protagonists of the novel. Parvaiz is a stand-in for the character of Polynices in Sophocles’s Antigone, but in the…
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Isma Pasha
Isma is Aneeka and Parvaiz’s older sister, and one of the five protagonists of the novel. Her character parallels the character of Ismene in Antigone. At the beginning of the novel, Isma is 28…
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Karamat Lone
Karamat is Eamonn and Emily’s father, and Terry’s husband. Karamat’s character matches that of King Creon in Sophocles’s Antigone. Throughout the novel, Shamsie gradually reveals information about Karamat’s life before he is appointed…
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Adil Pasha
Adil was Isma, Aneeka, and Parvaiz’s father, and Zainab’s husband. Isma describes him as a charming man who tried to be many things: “guitarist, salesman, gambler, con man, jihadi.” When…
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Farooq
Farooq is a cousin of Parvaiz’s friend, and he becomes Parvaiz’s mentor and recruiter to ISIS. Farooq is in his thirties and is described as a “compact but powerfully built man.” Farooq seeks…
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Terry Lone
Terry is Karamat’s wife and Eamonn and Emily’s mother. Terry is Irish-American and independently wealthy as an interior designer. Karamat’s marriage to her is seen by many as a way for him to…
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Zainab Pasha
Zainab was Isma, Aneeka, and Parvaiz’s mother. Zainab and her mother-in-law (Isma’s grandmother) are the primary caretakers of all three children until both women die within a year of each…
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Hira Shah
Hira is a professor of Isma’s. Hira and Isma met when Isma was at the London School of Economics for her undergraduate studies, and Hira later helps Isma pursue her postgraduate studies at Amherst…
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Isma’s grandmother
Isma, Aneeka, and Parvaiz’s grandmother was Adil’s mother. Isma’s grandmother, along with Isma’s mother Zainab, were the primary caretakers of Isma, Aneeka, and Parvaiz—until she passed away when they were…
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Emily Lone
Emily is Eamonn’s younger sister and Karamat and Terry’s daughter. Emily is described as the person who earns all of Karamat’s expectation, while Eamonn only receives his indulgence. Little detail is revealed about…
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Gladys
Gladys is a neighbor of Isma, Parvaiz, and Aneeka and an old friend of Zainab. Gladys verbally attacks Karamat on national television in defense of Parvaiz following his death. Though the sisters…
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Minor Characters
Aunty Naseem
Aunty Naseem is an old friend of Zainab and a neighbor of Isma, Aneeka, and Parvaiz. When Isma goes to the United States, Aneeka stays with Aunty Naseem while she is attending university.
Abu Raees
Abu Raees is the head of the ISIS media unit that Parvaiz joins.
James
James is Karamat’s assistant.
