This light-warming book about an Aussie Muslim girl in Melbourne is a funny and a much needed break from all the stresses of 2016.
The story reads like a journal, maintaining a conversational writing style throughout. The story centres on Amal, who decides to don a hijab, whilst she is still in Year 11 at a private elite school. She misses her friends from her old school, but makes new friends at her new school. As any ‘typical’ young adult novel, this one rotates around the humorous and challenging experiences of a high school student and her struggles with her parents at home.
One of Amal’s close friends is Leila whose mother is traditional and only cares about her daughter marrying – despite her being only 16 years old! Here we see two extremes: Amal’s parents who allow her to be fully independent, and Leila’s parents who reject the idea of independence.
Our protagonist has a crush on a boy, as does her friend, and a drama ensues. What is great about this book is that it touches on important topics with humour. The readers can find themselves in any of the characters – and there many – and laugh at the typical teen rebelliousness of Amal and her friends.
You can tell by reading this book that the author, Randa Abdel-Fattah, believes in a woman’s right to independence. This is a story about a young girl who feels self-conscious about her newly worn scarf and about her friend who is shy about it. It is about two girls in Amal’s high school who judge her no matter what she says or does, and how that impacts her self-esteem. Above all this is a story about how society influences the way we feel and act and the debilitating thoughts that go through our minds.
Although the book is a light read that makes one smile and laugh every few pages, it touches upon
important observations of society. Those who are ‘ignorant’ according to Amal in the book, are those who force their views on their daughters or loved ones. Amal’s mother responds: “It’s naïve to think that because somebody is ignorant they are a bad person.”
Book Recommendation: East of the Palms by Bahaa Taher
This novella talks of the struggles of an Egyptian student living in the city and his alternative simple country life surrounded by friends and family who form intimate and superficial relationships.
