The Stolen Queen

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

The novel depicts several mother-daughter pairs: Charlotte and Layla (Fatima), Annie and Joyce, and Mona and Heba. The close bond that forms between Charlotte and Annie means that they also end up engaging in a surrogate mother-daughter relationship. This is symbolized when, at the end of the novel, Charlotte gives a sprig of jasmine to Annie to match the one that Fatima already has; she explains, “I’m glad I found you as well” (331). These various mother-daughter relationships reveal that even in cases where the relationships are dysfunctional, mothers and daughters have a staunch loyalty to one another. For example, Annie assumes a position of responsibility and caretaking in her relationship with Joyce, musing that “most of the time it [i]s lovely to be needed” (33). However, Annie does not recognize how much her sense of responsibility and caretaking holds her back. This is especially true because the relationship is not reciprocal; Joyce often behaves selfishly.

Annie’s arc of self-development and ability to trust herself can only truly begin once she breaks free of worrying about her mother. The last time that Annie and Joyce speak, Joyce effectively abandons her daughter to pursue a new romantic relationship, implying that the relationship will be severed.