Khan, Sabina. Zara Hossain is Here. Scholastic Inc. Apr. 2021. 256p. Tr. $19.95. ISBN 9781773214900. Grades 7-12.
Zara Hossain is Here by Sabina Khan tells the story of Zara, a queer Muslim Pakistani high schooler as she navigates family, love, and racism in Corpus Christi, Texas. Having been in the United States since she was three years old, Zara and her family are comfortable and integrated in their community. However, their lack of green card status keeps her from feeling truly secure. And when Zara speaks out against racism and harassment at the hands of a classmate Tyler, she must deal with the fallout, which quickly escalates to violence against her family.
Themes and issues explored in the book are important to the overall YA canon, specifically in relation to complex and diverse Muslim representation and all of its intersections–violence against the Muslim community, queerness, inadequacies of the immigration system, and the plethora of other intersecting issues and identities– with varying levels of success. In terms of Muslim representation Zara’s family practices Islam “culturally,” as examples, not fasting during Ramadan nor observing the five daily prayers. Zara’s parents are understanding and supportive of her bisexual identity and relationship. She experiences backlash from their Pakistani community and her girlfriend Chloe’s Christian family. Phrases in Urdu and Arabic and used throughout the book and the larger cast of characters is equally diverse.
Unfortunately the novel suffers in pacing events and clunky writing, with character development feeling stunted, and lacking emotion and feeling that fails to connect the reader to Zara’s story. Zara’s shifting of thoughts on life impacting decisions, such as moving back to Pakistan, feels flat and not overly contemplative. Zara’s relationship with Chloe feels abrupt in its beginnings and the quick intensity of their feelings comes across as inauthentic. These intense events occur within the first hundred pages, are dragged out in the remainder of the novel, and are too neatly resolved to be believable. Overall a disappointing read that checks the boxes without any real singular impact.
