Tariq and his parents' relationship

Tariq's relationship with his parents is one of the novel's most stable and loving familial bonds, a counterpoint to the dysfunction and loss that surround Laila and Mariam. His father is a lean, white-haired carpenter with a squinty gaze and a pleasant smell of sawdust, who builds the furniture in their home and treats Laila with affectionate familiarity, calling her his "aroos" (daughter-in-law). His mother, who wears a wig that turns a dull purple with age, is a calm, self-assured woman with clever eyes and unhurried manners. Together, they create a home where Laila feels natural, effortless, and uncomplicated by the tensions that infect her own household. The family eats meals together, using violet plastic drinking glasses and squeezing sour oranges on everything, and they make small, harmless jokes at each other's expense. Tariq's parents speak Farsi when Laila is around for her benefit, even though they are ethnic Pashtuns, a gesture that underscores their inclusive warmth.

Illness, Displacement, and Loss

The family's stability is shattered by war and illness. Tariq's father suffers a series of strokes that leave him with a clumsy left hand, a slight slur in his speech, and a tendency toward anxiety and depression. When the Mujahideen factions begin fighting in Kabul, the family flees to Pakistan, first to the Nasir Bagh refugee camp near Peshawar. There, Tariq's father dies in his sleep during the first winter. His mother catches pneumonia and almost dies, saved only by a camp doctor working out of a station wagon. Tariq, desperate to help, corners a twelve-year-old boy, holds a shard of glass to his throat, and steals his blanket to give to his mother. He vows that they will not spend another winter in the camp. His mother dies of exposure while Tariq is in prison, a fact he learns from a fellow inmate years later. When Laila asks about his parents after their reunion, Tariq says simply, "Passed on," a quiet acknowledgment of a grief too large for words.

Tariq's Devotion and Sacrifice

Tariq's love for his parents is the driving force behind his most difficult decisions. He leaves Laila and Kabul because his father's heart cannot endure the constant fighting and killing. He takes a job smuggling a leather coat lined with hashish to Lahore, knowing the risks, because the money is too good to pass up and winter is coming. His arrest and seven-year imprisonment are a direct consequence of this act of filial devotion. Even in prison, he writes letters to his mother, though he doubts she will receive them. His mother tries to visit him three times, but he never gets to see her. This pattern of sacrifice and loss shapes Tariq's character, making him both fiercely protective and deeply wounded. His parents' love, however, remains a touchstone; it is the model of loyalty and care that he later brings to his relationship with Laila and her children.