KL: There were elements of Islamophobia touched upon in Maryam & Son. The officer watching Maryam, Maryam watching herself. The novel does not offer the reader the comfort of innocence or the resolution of guilt. By leaving that gap open, I aimed to make the reader sit with the same ambiguity that Maryam does. Maryam & Son focuses on the witness, the person who is left behind to ask the impossible questions.