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A review by onthesamepage
When a Brown Girl Flees by Aamna Qureshi
emotional
hopeful
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
3.5
Thematically, this feels like a very important book, especially for young Muslim women/teens. I think Zahra's story will be relatable to many, and I recognized myself in some of her struggles with her faith and her search for purpose and meaning. Her journey is difficult, but ultimately hopeful. I really appreciated how the author highlighted the role of faith, religion, and community.
The reason I'm not rating this higher is mostly because of the writing style, and because, during parts of this, I felt like the pieces weren't fitting together so much as shoved together in the approximation of a story. Some of the dialogue from characters reads more like exposition than a natural conversation. During one scene, Haya is trying to comfort Zahra, and what she says could come out of the mouth of a sheikh preaching at the mosque. It didn't feel entirely natural at times, and it took me out of the story and lessened the emotional impact since I was too distracted by the prose.
I also felt like characters didn't always behave consistently. From the beginning, we are painted a certain picture of Zahra's mother, and it isn't disputed at all (not even by her own actions) until they have a conversation and she finally speaks openly about her feelings.When Zahra finally returns home, her mother is instantly cold towards her and ignores her for 3 days, only to then say she thought Zahra hated her and that's why she was acting that way. She actually wanted Zahra to talk to her and ask for her help. I can accept this as truth if it applies to before she ran away, but if this is how she feels, ignoring Zahra after she comes back doesn't match with what I'd expect. I guess it boils down to telling vs showing—we're told a lot of things, but I'm not sure if we're shown all that much.
I would still highly recommend this—I can be a picky reader, especially when it comes to prose, and I think plenty of people will be able to look past that and fully appreciate this book.
The reason I'm not rating this higher is mostly because of the writing style, and because, during parts of this, I felt like the pieces weren't fitting together so much as shoved together in the approximation of a story. Some of the dialogue from characters reads more like exposition than a natural conversation. During one scene, Haya is trying to comfort Zahra, and what she says could come out of the mouth of a sheikh preaching at the mosque. It didn't feel entirely natural at times, and it took me out of the story and lessened the emotional impact since I was too distracted by the prose.
I also felt like characters didn't always behave consistently. From the beginning, we are painted a certain picture of Zahra's mother, and it isn't disputed at all (not even by her own actions) until they have a conversation and she finally speaks openly about her feelings.
I would still highly recommend this—I can be a picky reader, especially when it comes to prose, and I think plenty of people will be able to look past that and fully appreciate this book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
Minor: Drug use