And the award for first book to make me cry this year goes to....
Seriously though, All My Rage is an incredible book. Heartbreaking and hopeful, a story about pain, loss, family, and forgiveness. I have enjoyed fantasy from this author and was curious to see how she tackled a contemporary story.
Told in two timelines, this book primarily focuses on current day but also includes flashbacks to a young woman coming of age in Pakistan and getting married. In the present day, two Muslim Pakistani teenagers who were childhood best friends are dealing with really difficult circumstances. Salahudin's mom has died, leaving him and his alcoholic father with a mountain of debt and an aging motel. He knows selling drugs is wrong, but it seems like the only option for keeping his family afloat.
Noor is desperate to escape their small town and the racialized bullying she faces, but her uncle- her only surviving family who saved her when a bomb killed the rest of her family in Pakistan- wants her to stay and work in the liquor store he owns. He doesn't want her getting what he had to give up- a college education. And he hates that she is religious.
This book is beautifully written and will rip your heart out before piecing it back together. I felt so deeply for these characters and Tahir navigates very sensitive issues with grace and compassion. I loved this so much more than I expected it to.
Seriously though, All My Rage is an incredible book. Heartbreaking and hopeful, a story about pain, loss, family, and forgiveness. I have enjoyed fantasy from this author and was curious to see how she tackled a contemporary story.
Told in two timelines, this book primarily focuses on current day but also includes flashbacks to a young woman coming of age in Pakistan and getting married. In the present day, two Muslim Pakistani teenagers who were childhood best friends are dealing with really difficult circumstances. Salahudin's mom has died, leaving him and his alcoholic father with a mountain of debt and an aging motel. He knows selling drugs is wrong, but it seems like the only option for keeping his family afloat.
Noor is desperate to escape their small town and the racialized bullying she faces, but her uncle- her only surviving family who saved her when a bomb killed the rest of her family in Pakistan- wants her to stay and work in the liquor store he owns. He doesn't want her getting what he had to give up- a college education. And he hates that she is religious.
This book is beautifully written and will rip your heart out before piecing it back together. I felt so deeply for these characters and Tahir navigates very sensitive issues with grace and compassion. I loved this so much more than I expected it to.