A review by zoes_human
A Thousand Questions by Saadia Faruqi

4.0

An exceptional middle-grade, realistic and contemporary novel that touches on complicated topics such as absentee fathers, single mothers, multicultural families, and cultural difference. The characters are complex with flaws and strengths. The narration was fantastic, and I plan to seek out more work by these readers. The only reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is both personal and a spoiler. See below if interested.

Mimi's dad has been absent from her life since she was 5, and she is now 11. The book gives a happy sort of ending where she connects with her dad, she reaches closure about why he left, and he promises to stay in touch from now on. Nice for lovers of happy endings, but not so great for kids with actual absentee parents. Parents who skip out for 6 years don't come back. Oh I'm sure there's a few heartwarming real-life stories out there, but the reality for most of us is that the parent stays gone. We don't get a conversation with them that reaches closures. They don't come back and stay in touch. They disappear forever and it's up to you and any remaining family to sort through the damage. It's not helpful to kids in this situation to "spare them" by holding out false hope. What's helpful is understanding that some parents abandon their kids forever and that it is absolutely about them and not you. i wish this book had gone that route, because that would have helped a lot of kids to see that represented.