The imagery of Sarajevo
Zora's love for Sarajevo City is described using the senses of sight, smell and hearing. The narrator says, "She loves Sarajevo. She knows all its alleys and courtyards, all its scents and sounds—the way the light falls at the end of their street in wintertime, the rattle of the tram, the blowsy roses that bloom each June in the mosque gardens, the plums and fogs in the autumn, the ponderous old men playing chess in the cafés, the mahalas—the old neighborhoods—that radiate from the centre like the spiral of a snail’s shell." The imagery is significant because it explains why Zora is determined to stay in Sarajevo despite the looming danger. The imagery paints a picture of a beautiful and dazzling city everyone would like to visit at any time. When the authorities issue warnings of a possible war, Zora requests her husband and elderly mother to seek refuge in England, but she decides to remain in the city. Zora hopes the war will not be devastating and might not last for a month. Zora cannot imagine leaving the city she loves for a foreign country.
The destruction of the library
During the conflict, the library is set on fire, and the narrator describes the loss using a sense of sight. Several books and documents are destroyed. The narrator asks, "Have you ever heard of such a thing? A human chain to rescue books. A moment of coming together, of resistance. But what good did it do? They say almost two million documents were burnt in there. First editions, rare manuscripts, land records, newspaper archives. Our heritage was destroyed in a night." The massive destruction of the library reflects the city's destruction. Zora is a university professor by profession, and she feels hurt whenever institutions of knowledge are destroyed. The university's library and other important infrastructure are destroyed during the conflict, leaving behind a trail of losses.
