REVIEW: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Genre: Contemporary, Young Adult

Publisher: HarperTeen

ISBN: 0062866567

Format: Hardback, Paperback, E-Book,
Audio-Book

Release Date: 16th October 2018


Links: Goodreads, Amazon.com, Indigo,
B&N, Book Depository


Rating: 9/10


Synopsis:

It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped.

Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother.


But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

Review:

This book was one of the best contemporary's that I have ever read.

I was very excited to have received an arc of this book in the goodie bag I received at the recent Frenzy Presents. Once I started the book I couldn't put it down.

The protagonist, Shirin, is living in a post-9/11 New York. Everyone looks at her and treats her differently and she built up walls, not allowing anyone close enough to ever hurt. She uses break-dancing and music as a way to escape the world around and then she meets Ocean James. A boy who wants to know the true her and Shirin isn't sure she is ready to let anyone in.

Shirin was a very powerful main character. The book began with introducing her and the life that she has had so far. Shirin has had a difficult life, from moving to various different schools and the hateful comments that were often directed her way. She has had to learn to cope in a world where everyone looks at her differently. The way she lost trust in those around her and never let anyone close was heartbreaking and throughout the entire book I was rooting for her to let just one person in. I also loved that Tahereh Mafi used some of her own life experiences when creating Shirin. 

Shirin was a wonderful character but I also loved her brother. I loved the connections and love the two had for one another. Tahereh Mafi wrote their relationship wonderfully and I felt a deep connection with the two of them. All the characters had a huge amount of depth for them and I found myself really emotionally about what the characters were going through.

Some of my favourite passages were the ones with Shirin and her brother while the two were break-dancing. Tahereh Mafi is a fantastic writer and the emotion that poured out of these passages (and the entire book) was amazing.

This book really makes you think. The hate and prejudice within the world after 9/11 only got worse and reading about some of the experiences that many people face really gets you thinking. People are scared of the unknown, but that doesn't mean people should be throwing hateful comments around without thinking of the person they are hurting.

The story is a powerful one and definitely an important one. It's a book I think a lot of people are going to connect with and it's a book that is going to stick with me for a while.