There are many moments where themes of family and individuality interact in this complex story. Below are a handful of relevant examples.
Hanna’s family. The main character, Hanna, has a mother she is close with. Her mother is a famous brain surgeon. She gets in a car accident. While she survives the passenger passes away. Hanna’s mother reveals that the passenger was her grandmother from her father’s side. Hanna had never heard anything about her father and takes the opportunity to learn more. She attends the funeral service and gets acquainted with relatives on her father’s side. Her storyline shows the importance of knowing one’s heritage. While Hanna grew to be a strong independent individual she continued to look for a connection with her father.
Ozren Karaman and his son. The main character Hanna has an affair with is the director of the Sarajevo Museum. His son suffers from a traumatic brain injury and is in a coma from a bullet wound. Hanna’s mother is a neurosurgeon and she offers to connect them. However, Ozren chooses not to take her up on her offer. This interaction here shows a father’s love for his son. Ozren chooses to focus his time and energy on his son rather than his affair with Hanna. Hanna does her best to help in the situation and offers what she can.
Lola and her family. Lola is a Jewish teenager who lives in Sarajevo when the Nazis invade. She runs to the mountains and joins a resistance movement. Her family is taken and Lola is left with no knowledge of their whereabouts. Her love for her missing family inspires her to continue fighting in the resistance. When she returns to her home she is taken in by the Kamal family. They care for her and treat her as one of their own.
Kamal Family. The Kamal’s are a Muslim family that take Lola in under their wing. They rely on their religious identity to guide them in their decision to take Lola in.
Dr. Netanel ha-Levi and his family. Dr. Ha-Levi saves Isabella and brings him into her home. He shows great generosity in accepting her and sheltering her.
The various families presented in People of the Book affect the individuals around them as well as their communities. In this work, family dynamics are explored through the lens of culture as well as religion.
Lola's Family
Lola's family life is exemplified in her love for her younger sister and the Kamals, who become her surrogate family. Familial love motivates Lola and gives her the strength she needs to fight in the resistance. While she is living in the mountains among the other resistance fighters, she realizes that family bonds can be created between unrelated members of a community. Through Lola, we realize family is one of the primary factors that allows people to remain kind in the face of abject cruelty and violence. It is also family that allows a sense of community to survive throughout the Nazi invasion.
Hanna's Family
Despite the fact that Hanna never knew her father, her love for him is explored throughout the book. She wishes she had known him and longs for the closeness other parents and children share. Her interactions with Ozren show the other side of the family dynamic. Ozren is devoted to his ailing son to the point where it consumes him. Through the lens of Hanna's broken family relationships, the author shows family often strengthens the individual, but some individuals can be strong without close family ties.
The Kamal Family
The Kamal family is headed by Stela and Serif, a Muslim couple who save Lola after she flees to the mountains to escape the Nazi Invasion in 1940. The Kamals illustrate the importance of family in a multi-cultural setting. Their concern and compassion for Lola are products of their faith as well as their strong family ties. Their family bond not only saves Lola but gives hope to the community around them.
Rita's Family
Rita is shown the importance of family to the individual when she delivers her sister-in-law's baby and decides to keep him. Although her sister-in-law asks Rita to drown him, she instead chooses to take responsibility for him and discovers the significance of maternal love.
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