This book was well received by everyone in attendance despite its lack of "happy" ending. The name of the institution Amal resided in, Bethlehem Oasis for Troubled Women, at first seemed to be a cruel choice of words but as it turned out, it was indeed Amal's oasis.
Despite the overall feeling of Amal's situation being bleak/hopeless, as a reader you couldn't help having a sense of hope, when her friend came back into the picture, and that she would leave the institution. However, the author remained "true" to character and Amal decided to stay.
One question we tossed around as a group was -what would have been expected of her if she had left the asylum? We discussed several theories on this topic, as well we wondered if her life would have turned out differently if her mother/sister/anybody would have stuck up for her from the very beginning as a child or as a young adult.