As a Choohrah — a Christian — she’s destined for lower-caste service work in a Muslim-dominated nation. As a woman, she must deal every day with her culture’s dismissive, sexist, and at times menacing attitude toward her gender. “Mostly people call her ‘daughter’ or ‘sister,’ ” writes Hanif, “and then do exactly what they would do with their own sisters or daughters: they treat her like a slave they bought at a clearance sale.” The story follows her first few weeks on the job after emerging from a juvenile detention center, seeking a second chance in a society that never gave her a first one.