Misfit in Love
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Misfit in Love
“Why? Was it because Dad wasn’t religious? And your family is?”
“I thought that was why for the longest time. But then one of my cousins married a completely unreligious person, but he was Egyptian, too, and they welcomed him with open arms. And Dad saw that. And it was early on in our marriage.”
I shift again, uncomfortable this time. “What did you do?”
“I got angry. But I couldn’t change them. To them, it’s about the fear of losing something – culture, history, language – and not what the Qur’an says about why God created diversity.” Mom leans me against her gently. “So that we may come to know our differences and love each other for them. When you see the world as divided, when you’re prejudiced, it’s not about expanding hearts – it’s about shrinking your capacity to love which is really bad for our systems, physical and spiritual.”
Is that why Dad and Auntie Rima are like that? Their capacity to love has been restricted by the way they see the world? Even though Dad acts so generous, is so generous, in other ways?
How does it make sense that Dad, who has felt the effects of prejudice himself, is dishing it out now too? It is because it’s the kind of prejudice, anti-Blackness, that’s been engrained in our cultures, South Asian and Arab, the kind that’s so insidiously prevalent that Dad didn’t hesitate to blurt it out like it was nothing?
Janna Yusuf is looking forward to a weekend, indeed a whole summer, of love. She is busy with preparations for the wedding of her brother Muhammad and his bride Sarah. And one of the guests is Nuah. Janna has had a crush on him for years and is convinced their feelings are mutual, and so she thinks this is the summer to let him know that she’s ready to take their friendship to another level. On top of that, Janna will see many friends and relatives as well as spending special time with her mom. Everything looks absolutely perfect….until it isn’t.
Much of the novel is a romance with Jenna interested in not one but three boys whom she encounters. There’s Nuah who has always been there for her, particularly after the assault two years ago. Also involved in the wedding is Haytham – good-looking, lots of fun, a wonderful singer who entertains children and adults alike and all-round great guy. The fourth side of this love square is Layth, diametrically opposed to Haytham. Layth is a loner who prefers black t-shirts and limited social interaction. He’ll spend a day or two at the wedding venue, if he must, but he can’t wait to leave and get on with his own plans far from everyone and everything. Jenna is drawn to each of the young men for different reasons and is gradually learning what to look for in a partner and how to love.
The love interests form a major part of the novel but also bring out some inconsistencies in the character of Jenna. She is determined to finally have a meaningful relationship and then decides that she doesn’t need any males around her to make her happy. Were the novel only this never-ending romantic roller coaster it would certainly be less appealing.
There are many more characters in the book, and readers of Ali’s Saints and Misfits will recognize several of them. Girlfriend Tatyana and mentor Sausan are back, as are Jenna’s divorced parents, dad with wife Linda, and mom with new love interest Bilal. Many others make cameo appearances as wedding helpers and guests.
It is the deeper themes which prompt a “Highly Recommended” rating for this novel. Ali has Jenna look at racism, specifically anti-Black racism within the Muslim community. This, in turn, forces her to look at her own issues and work on them. Just as her father might fear losing Jenna to boyfriend Nuah, Jenna is afraid that her mother’s relationship with Bilal will deepen and perhaps even lead to marriage and a whole new family. Thus, the sense of losing her mother’s love is something with which Jenna must come to grips.
The family drama continues and is another source of interest in the book. Jenna and her brother Muhammad have a solid relationship and give each other support as needed, and sister-in-law-to-be Sarah is also a source of friendship and understanding. Jenna and her dad have difficulties, and this is a focus of Misfit in Love. Ali eventually brings them together in a skillful and meaningful way which will resonate with readers. Lastly, Jenna and her mom work through their feelings and, again, Ali is able to have her readers understand and appreciate both sides of the relationship.
As in Saints and Misfits, some readers will automatically relate to this novel and others will learn from it. Ali gives her Muslim readers characters who will resonate with them and whom they will enjoy. Non-Muslims will learn more about the religion and those who practice it. Ali refers to prayers and duas, verses from the Qur’an, and various wedding traditions. Because this information is sprinkled in conversations throughout the book, readers never feel they are getting a “lesson” in religion, yet, by the end of the book, there is a sense of knowing just a little more about the Muslim faith and its adherents.
The romance angle of Misfit in Love and Jenna’s up-and-down emotions will appeal to many readers while others will be more interested in the family dynamics as well as the issues of racism and bias and how to combat them in a concrete way. Once again, S. K. Ali gives her young adult audience lots to think about, and lots to enjoy!
Ann Ketcheson is a retired teacher-librarian and high school teacher of English and French who lives in Ottawa, Ontario.