Apart from a little opener that confirms all my suspicions about Anis and Sherine, this volume goes back to the original storyline, focusing on the wake of the attack on the village. All is well, by which I mean no-one's dead, but there's been significant destruction and repairs are underway. In particular, Pariya's family home has been destroyed, so they all come to stay with Amir, Karluk, and co. Of especial relevance is the fact that all of Pariya's fabrics - all the embroidered articles she's expected to take with her into marriage - have been burnt. She's got to start embroidering again from scratch, poor thing, and the fact that she's not a fan of sewing doesn't help her temper, which has never been very good. She has to try and keep it when her intended comes to help repair the village, however, and although this volume ends before things are resolved, I think it's fairly clear that he's going to end up preferring someone who's not that good at being meek.

Much of this volume is about friendships between women, and the importance, again, of sewing and textile designs. Which is something I find fascinating, so I'm glad for the return of focus. The extended family that's been built up around the central pair is really appealing, too - particularly Granny and little Tileke. I'm also fond of the smallest nephew, who has that toddler habit of staring at sleeping people like a cat until they wake up and freak.