What a Desi Girl Wants
by Sabina Khan
Scholastic
The romance of Becky Albertalli meets the nuanced family dynamics of Darius the Great is Not Okay in this YA novel from acclaimed author Sabina Khan.
Mehar hasn’t been back to India since she and her mother moved away when she was only four. Hasn’t visited her father, her grandmother, her family, or the home where she grew up. Why would she? Her father made it clear that she’s not his priority when he chose not to come to the US with them.
But when her father announces his engagement to socialite Naz, Mehar reluctantly agrees to return for the wedding. Maybe she and her father can heal their broken relationship. And after all, her father is Indian royalty, and his home is a palace–the wedding is going to be a once-in-a-lifetime affair.
While her father still doesn’t make the time for her, Mehar barely cares once she meets Sufiya, her grandmother’s assistant, and one of the most grounded, thoughtful, kind people she’s ever met! Though they come from totally different worlds, their friendship slowly starts to blossom into something more…Mehar thinks.
Meanwhile, Mehar’s dislike for Naz and her social media influencer daughter, Aleena, deepens. She can tell that the two of them are just using her father for his money. Mehar’s starting to think that putting a stop to this wedding might be the best thing for everyone involved.
But what happens when telling her father the truth about Naz and Aleena means putting her relationship with Sufiya at risk…
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss
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.
Meet Me in Mumbai by Sabina Khan
Scholastic
Seventeen-year-old Mira Fuller-Jensen was adopted by her moms at birth. All she knows about her biological mother is that she was a high-school student from India who returned to India after giving birth. Although Mira loves her moms, she’s always felt out of place in her mostly white community.
So when Mira finds an old box with letters addressed to her from her birth mother, she sees a way to finally capture that feeling of belonging. Her mother writes that if Mira can forgive her for having to give her up, she should find a way to travel to India for her eighteenth birthday and meet her. Mira knows she’ll always regret it if she doesn’t go. But is she actually ready for what she will learn?
Cover image and summary via Edelweiss