Reviews - A Very Large Expanse Of Sea

A Very Large Expanse Of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

4.44k reviews for:

I really really loved this book. I think the author did an amazing job of capturing the protagonist's voice. She was so authentic and believable which makes me fear Tahereh Mafi wrote this book because she faced some of the same racist atrocities.

caenerys_'s review against another edition

4.0

I was a bit nervous going into this because I HATED Shatter Me, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It wasn't what I was expecting, and I would definitely recommend picking it up, but it hasn't left a lasting impression on me and I probably won't read it again

rowan_delilah's review against another edition

3.75

emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

eliaaane_h's review against another edition

3.0

A really enjoyable read, even tho ngl the first half was kinda boring but the rest was really good! I wasn’t particularly attached to any of the characters but they were still great. The ending was sad tho :( I wish the MCs had a happy ending they deserved it

shalinivenkat's review against another edition

2.0

I had high hopes for this book since I've read and enjoyed Tahereh Mafi's work before, but I found that it didn't quite meet my expectations.

What I liked:
• Shirin's character development - I really loved that Shirin seemed like a real person. She wasn't perfect; she had flaws and, by the end of the novel, seemed to work towards bettering herself.
• The supporting characters - Navid, Jacobi, Carlos, Bijan, and Shirin's parents were all wonderful. I loved them all and genuinely wish I could meet them in real life.
• The breakdancing - This was such a unique aspect of the story!! I adored it (although I will say I'm a little biased since I love dancing myself)
• The perspective - One of the main reasons I wanted to read this novel was to gain a better understanding of the islamophobia and xenophobia muslims faced in the aftermath of 9/11 since I was too young to remember 9/11 or any of the residual tension itself. I loved how the book didn't gloss over the extent of the racism Shirin faced.

What I didn't like:
• The romance - Despite being a fan of love stories, I found the one between Ocean and Shirin to be melodramatic. I initially attributed it to the story being a teen romance, but the conflicts between the two felt tedious and repetitive. Though I understand Ocean's purpose in the novel, I honestly felt like the book would've been more powerful had Shirin learned to be less angry at the world herself rather than through the insight her relationship with Ocean gave her.
• Minimization of racism - I felt like as the story progressed, the racism Shirin faced was, at times, brushed off. At the end, the way Shirin's newfound popularity due to her breakdancing makes everyone "forget" to be racist towards her seems unrealistic. It's really hard to believe that such senseless hatred would dissipate so easily. Also, the fact that Ocean's main issue (whether to stay on the basketball team or not) was treated with an equal level of severity as the racism Shirin faced made it seem like the racism wasn't such a huge deal... that it was a phase the whole town was going through (which is, essentially, what Ocean's basketball problem was) and not something that would probably last for years, at least.

Overall, I found myself enjoying the minor details of the story rather than the plot as a whole. It had a good message, and exposed a perspective that is very necessary these days, but—in my opinion—the story was simply not as well executed as I wish it had been.