"There is no information about Lalla growing up. Perhaps she was a shy child, for those who are magical break from silent structures after years of chrysalis" (Ondaatje, 157).
In terms of character study a found a few parallels between Lalla and other women in the books we've read so far. This particular passage reminds me a great deal of Rahel in The God of Small Things. Both are playful and indifferent- two things that seem to distinguish them socially and cause them to be viewed as the exotic other, in Rahel's case this is especially true in her marriage to Larry Mccaslin. I know I've mentioned it before, but I think it is interesting that all novels and stories seem to have the similar figure of the coquettish wife. Lalla's wit and charm harkens back to Lahiri's short story, This Blessed House.
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