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Summary
Chapters 24-27
Chapter 24: The Borg of Herbs
Darius wakes up in the middle of the night to noise in the kitchen and finds his mother doing dishes because she’s unable to sleep. Darius offers to help dry the dishes and tells his mother that he’s sorry about Babou. Shirin apologizes for raising Darius away from his culture and shares that when she was a young child, Babou would carry her all the way home from school. She also apologizes for not teaching Darius Farsi because it would be easier for him to communicate with Babou if she had. She assures Darius that she loves him.
The next day, Darius is taking care of Laleh when Mamou comes in, kisses them, and asks Darius to make her some tea. She compliments the tea’s taste, telling Darius his gift of tea was perfect. Later, Shirin tells Darius it is tradition to visit people the day after Nowruz and suggests that Darius visit Sohrab. When he does, Sohrab’s mom opens the door and greets him. Darius removes his shoes, noticing Romaine lettuce on the counter. Sohrab’s mom says it’s Sohrab’s favorite food and asks Darius to take the lettuce to him.
Chapter 25: The Khaki Kingdom
Sohrab grabs Darius from behind, surprising him, before noticing the lettuce and asking Darius if he has ever tried sekanjabin, a Persian mint vinegar syrup. Darius says he hasn’t, so Sohrab brings out a jar. Together, they eat two heads of lettuce, dipping it in the sekanjabin, before deciding to go for a walk. When they pass Sohrab’s school, Darius asks what it’s like. Sohrab says it’s just okay and that most people, at least, aren’t prejudiced. Darius learns it’s an all-boys school, and Sohrab asks if Darius has a girlfriend. Darius says no and Sohrab admits he doesn’t either.
They walk to a park where Sohrab wants to climb a fence to the roof of the bathrooms. From there, they look out at the beautiful rooftops of the city. One stands out, and Sohrab says it’s the Jameh Mosque. Darius feels he’s looking over a fantasy world when Sohrab rests his arm on Darius’s shoulder while describing the city. Sohrab is so near that Darius can smell him. Darius asks Sohrab what Babou was like before he got sick. Sohrab tells a story about a time when Babou asked for Sohrab’s help to change the background on his phone to a picture of Darius. Sohrab says he knew from the picture they would be friends, and Darius wishes he had met Babou earlier. The azan, or call to prayer, rings out loud and clear, making Darius feel very Persian. Sohrab asks Darius if he believes in God, to which Darius replies, "I guess not." When Darius asks Sohrab if that bothers him, Sohrab says it doesn’t, but he then asks Darius who he turns to when he needs help. Darius tells him that’s what friends are for. Sohrab says they will always be friends, even after Darius goes home.
Chapter 26: A Tactical Withdrawal
That night, as Stephen prepares an episode of Star Trek, Darius asks him to wait for him to finish making tea. Stephen refuses to wait because Laleh gets antsy if she has to wait. Hurt, Darius takes his tea to the yard and enjoys the smell of jasmine while wondering if anyone would miss him if he died. Stephen comes out and tells Darius he is being selfish and that Laleh missed him. They argue, and Darius goes to bed. Neither says “I love you.”
Chapter 27: The Towers of Silence
The family visits the Towers of Silence, a historical site where Zoroastrian burials once took place. The family must walk up a trail to get to the site and Darius notices Babou moving slowly. When Laleh begins whining, Babou tries to soothe her, but she continues whining until Darius bribes her by promising to get faludeh later. Babou sees this and tells Darius he is a good brother. At the top of the tower, Babou says his grandfather Darioush was buried here, as well as his grandmother. For many years, Babou’s ancestors lived and died here, but now, because it’s been outlawed, they can no longer bury their people at the towers. Babou says that so many people in his family have moved away or want to. Darius sympathizes with Babou, and they lean on each other.
Analysis
Shirin and Darius’s discussion in the kitchen in the middle of the night helps Darius better understand Shirin’s relationship with her parents as well as her culture. Her apologies and the fact that she can’t sleep imply that she is experiencing some regret about the choices she made to raise her children in America and not take them to visit her parents until now. Her worry underpins the sense of loss the family feels both at the culture they didn’t grow up knowing as well as the impending loss of Babou. Here, Babou symbolically represents a tether to the culture and traditions slipping through their fingers. The family’s visit to the sacred Iranian resting ground, the Towers of Silence, spurs Babou to lament the loss of his history to changing times and traditions. Within the Tower are many of Darius’s deceased relatives. It’s significant that burials no longer transpire at the Towers, a break with tradition, one paralleled by Shirin raising her family in the United States. By bearing his hurt feelings, Babou gains the connection and understanding with Darius that he desires, and Darius is able to comfort him. Darius’s view of how Babou feels about him continues to change as Sohrab tells him the story of helping Babou change his phone’s background to a picture of Darius. Hearing this, Darius feels more accepted.
Sohrab and Darius’s friendship deepens through these discussions and through the time they spend in each other’s company. At moments, their attraction seems to go beyond friendship, such as when Darius grows flustered at finding Sohrab shirtless and sweaty from exercise, or on the many occasions they subtly touch each other. However, the attraction is never put into words directly, not even in Darius’s inner monologue, suggesting that he’s not ready to explore what his responses mean in the context of his developing identity. Their climb to the top of the bathroom roof to view a beautiful panoramic view of Yazd signifies the peak of their friendship. Here they talk about everything, from their respective schools to what Babou was like in his prime to whether each believes in God. Sohrab’s questions seem to hint at wanting to bring up more, but the azan interrupts the conversation.
Even as Sohrab and Darius grow closer, Stephen and Darius drift further apart, mostly because the one good thing Darius believes he still shares with his dad, their Star Trek nights, is being infringed upon by Laleh. As is often the case, the disagreement boils down to a misunderstanding based on lack of communication. Stephen can’t understand Darius’s anger, mostly because he isn’t aware that Darius feels Star Trek is their only remaining point of connection. Darius, for his part, doesn’t understand why Stephen isn’t interested in preserving their one remaining bond. Usually when they fight, Stephen still makes sure to tell Darius he loves him, but at the worst of their fighting, even that statement disappears for a night.
