The two girls realize that they have indeed become mahala , or sisters in spirit. In addition to tolerance and understanding, persistence is a central theme in this powerful story. The girls' journey is long, lonely, and full of hardship. Rahel draws strength from her storyteller's beads, handed down by her beloved grandmother to remind Rahel of the many stories of biblical Jews' bravery in the face of suffering and persecution. By sharing the traditional stories, Rahel buoys Sahay's spirits.
Family is another important theme in the book.
Both girls' families are very important to them and both persist on their difficult journey in part because they feel they are doing it for their families. Neither Rahel nor Sahay has ever been more than a few miles from home. Now, to escape famine and violence, the girls must be brave enough to leave their country forever. Alone together on the journey, Rahel and Sahay are badly in need of each other's friendship, but first they must overcome their deeply ingrained mistrust of each other's people. Setting The Storyteller's Beads is set in Ethiopia amid the famine and warfare of the 1980s.