This book is so very important for everyone to read.
Zayneb is all fire. She is a Muslim girl who refuses to accept the constant Islamophobia thrown her way. She is angry and she has every right to be. Our story begins when she is suspended from school for "threatening" a teacher. The teacher in question is an Islamophobe and is constantly disregarding Zayneb. From here she is sent to Doha to visit her aunt and hopefully find clarity.
Adam is our male protagonist, he is Muslim, having converted at a young age and he's dealing with a recent diagnosis of multiple sclerosis which just happens to be the disease that killed his mother. He's coming home to Doha from university to tell his dad of his diagnosis and that he's left school for the time being.
Zayneb and Adam have this odd and marvelous thing in common. They both have a Marvels and Oddities journal, in which they record marvels (air, touch, seventies music, coincidences) and oddities (haters, trauma, secrets, heart pain). The story is mostly told through their various journal entries although there is a sort of narrator through-out the book that pops up now and again to keep things flowing.
This was such a powerful and poignant read. My heart broke multiple times reading this book, but it offers so much hope as well. A & Z work so well as a couple, Zayneb is fiery and passionate while Adam is soft and quiet. They complement each other very well and it was nice to see a YA relationship between two Muslim characters.
This book taught me so much about religion, relationships, multiple sclerosis, grief and even the world. Adam attended Doha International School so his friends are literally from everywhere. Adam himself is Canadian (yay canada).
While I think EVERYONE should read this I'm glad it exists for readers who are Muslim so they can see themselves represented in YA literature.