Homeland Security Raid
The novel opens with a raid by the Department of Homeland Security to capture Kamran after his brother is suspected of a terror attack. Kamran, akin to other occupants in the house, is shocked by the loud intrusion by the agents. He narrates “And then they were there. Dark shapes surged into my room, black-on-black silhouettes with hulking shoulders and big round eyes that flashed. My fear made me five again. I curled up against the side of the bed like I was playing hide-and-seek with my older brother, Darius, hoping he wouldn’t see me.” Karman juxtaposes the sense of threat that the raid poses and an innocent game he played with his brother. This imagery highlights the drastic shift that his life takes following the suspicion of terrorism.
Breaking News
The narrative highlights the methods used by international news outlets when covering certain subject matters. In this case, the news agency reports on the terror attack while placing the picture of the suspect alongside the graphic images. Kamran asserts, “CNN put a picture of Darius up on the screen, a posed photograph of him in his uniform, looking as handsome and serious as ever. Then they split the screen and showed a still from a video taken in the embassy; in the background, a guy stood waving his finger in the air. He was the same height as Darius, but I couldn’t make out his face.” The imagery emphasizes the media shock tactics that are commonplace in modern news reporting.
Escape Plan
Following his detainment, Kamran pursues an escape plan to commence his investigation and prove Darius' innocence. Though he can fatally attack the soldiers with a firearm, he chooses to use a less lethal plan. He uses appliances as distractions to escape without the soldier on guard noticing his movements. Kamran narrates, “The door opened. A soldier in fatigues stepped inside, his gun held out in front of him in both hands. His eyes went straight to the sound of the microwave the moment it burst into flames. The soldier recoiled. The sprinklers in the room came on, suddenly dowsing everything with rain. The fire burned on, the microwaves still bouncing crazily off all that metal.” The imagery illustrates the sense of urgency and danger that is now part of Kamran’s life.
Halftime Show
The narrative leads up to the suspected terrorist attack on US soil by the group that is holding the brothers captive. They have been placed inside a portable stage within the football stadium—while unconscious—with explosives tied to their bodies. Kamran tries to make out the sound around him which he concludes is the lead-up to the halftime show. He says, “The thundering sound shifted to a rising roar like a wave crashing into the shore. I realized for the first time that the thudding sound wasn’t in my head. The floor vibrated as the sound washed over us, and something blew like a foghorn or a basketball buzzer.” The imagery vividly describes the sounds that are associated with a stadium giving the protagonist a sense of location.
