Boy Overboard

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, child abuse, and gender discrimination.

On the sixth day of the voyage, with three to go, Bibi has a fever. The food and water on the boat have run out, and Jamal wonders if they will survive. In a “tiny voice,” Bibi reminds Jamal that it is her birthday. Guilty over having forgotten, Jamal promises to throw a lavish party for her once they get to Australia. Omar inserts himself into the conversation, saying that his own birthday is in four months, and Rashida nudges him angrily. Together, the children picture the treats and other luxuries that they’ll soon be enjoying in Australia: hamburgers, ice cream, fizzy drinks, and the supermarkets where you can buy anything. Rashida surprises them with the news that she was born in Australia. When she was still a baby, she says, her family moved back to Afghanistan to look after her grandparents after her uncles were killed in the war. After her grandparents died, the government wouldn’t let them return to Australia. Thinking about his own relatives, most of whom are now dead, Jamal misses Mum and Dad more than ever.