Raymond Andrews
Raymond Andrews is the American consular officer in Islamabad who interviews Amir and Sohrab when Amir attempts to secure a visa to adopt Sohrab and bring him to the United States. A small, fastidious man with a deep baritone voice and a passion for tomato plants, Andrews embodies the bureaucratic indifference of the immigration system. He bluntly advises Amir to abandon the adoption petition, citing the near impossibility of proving Sohrab’s orphan status without death certificates from Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, the lack of an American embassy in Kabul, and the INS’s requirement for cooperation from the child’s country of origin. His cold, procedural manner contrasts sharply with the human desperation before him, yet a later revelation—that his own daughter died by suicide—casts his hardened demeanor in a more tragic light.
Identity and First Impression
Raymond Andrews is a short fellow with small hands, perfectly trimmed nails, and a wedding band on his ring finger. His handshake feels like squeezing a sparrow. He speaks in a deep baritone that seems at odds with his slight stature. His office in the American embassy in Islamabad is neat and orderly: a Les Misérables poster hangs on the wall behind him next to a topographical map of the United States, and a pot of tomato plants basks in the sun on the windowsill. When Amir and Sohrab first enter, Andrews barely glances at Sohrab and does not look at Amir when he speaks. He lights a cigarette from a half-empty pack, produces a bottle of lotion from his desk drawer, and rubs it into his hands while looking at his tomato plants, the cigarette dangling from the corner of his mouth. This studied, almost ritualistic self-care suggests a man who has built a fortress of routine against the emotional demands of his job.
The Interview and the Cold Advice
Andrews asks Amir to tell his story, then listens with a face that reveals nothing. When Amir finishes, Andrews gives him the short answer first: "Give it up." He then elaborates with the long answer, pressing his hands palm to palm as if in prayer. He explains that even if Amir’s story is true, the petition faces significant obstacles. The first is that Sohrab is not legally an orphan—without death certificates for Hassan and Farzana, the INS cannot accept that they are deceased. "This is Afghanistan we're talking about. Most people there don't have birth certificates," Amir protests, but Andrews’s glassy eyes do not blink. "I don't make the laws, sir," he replies. The second problem is the need for cooperation from the child’s country of origin, which is impossible because the United States has no embassy in Kabul. "That makes things extremely complicated. Just about impossible," he says. When Amir reveals that Sohrab was sexually abused, Andrews’s mouth says "I'm sorry to hear that," but his tone suggests the information is irrelevant to the legal process. He advises Amir to send money to a relief organization or volunteer at a refugee camp instead of attempting to adopt.
The Human Cost of Bureaucracy
Amir, frustrated, asks Andrews if he has children. Andrews is silent. Amir presses: "Well, do you? It's a simple question." Andrews remains silent. Amir then says, "I thought so. They ought to put someone in your chair who knows what it's like to want a child." Andrews does not react to the insult. Instead, he asks Amir a question of his own: "Have you promised this child you'll take him with you?" When Amir says yes, Andrews shakes his head. "It's a dangerous business, making promises to kids." He then gives Amir the business card of Omar Faisal, an immigration lawyer in Islamabad, and wishes him luck. As Amir and Sohrab leave, the secretary reveals that Andrews has not been the same since his daughter died by suicide. This single piece of information reframes his entire performance: his coldness is not cruelty but a scarred man’s attempt to protect himself—and perhaps others—from the pain of hope.
Narrative Role and Significance
Andrews functions as a threshold guardian in Amir’s quest to redeem himself by saving Sohrab. He represents the impersonal, often cruel machinery of the state that stands between a person’s moral intention and its realization. His advice to "give it up" is the first of many obstacles Amir must overcome, and his warning about making promises to children proves tragically prophetic: when Amir later breaks his promise not to send Sohrab to an orphanage, Sohrab attempts suicide. Andrews’s own hidden grief—the suicide of his daughter—creates a parallel with Amir’s story, suggesting that the immigration officer’s apparent lack of empathy is a defense mechanism born of personal loss. He is not a villain but a broken man who has learned that hope is a dangerous thing.
