The Beauty of Your Face by Sahar Mustafah : A Review

TW: Islamophobia, Suicide, Depression, Alcohol addiction, Terrorism, Descriptive hate crime details I have written this review multiple times and erased it. Simply because it is not easy to categorise a book which is this beautiful yet the most heartbreaking one I have read. It maps the story of Afaf, a Palestine-American, who finds her footing in this strange land where it was already tough managing being an “outsider” as a kid but post 9/11 it became a crime to be an outsider and specifically Muslim. Don’t get me wrong this book is not at all fixated on just that, in its essence it is a story of a family of five finding oneself amidst the heavy influence of this world we live in. It is the story of a young girl who lost her sister to society pressure, her mother and father to various diseases, and herself too. The story begins with Afaf going through her usual day when a terrorist arrives. Albeit very little is described about this situation, the description of it is quite disturbing. The storyline oscillates between the above mentioned ‘present’ and Afaf’s growing up years at Chicago. With a mother who is depressed, a father who is an alcoholic, a younger brother who looks upto her, Afaf is lost in the fast moving train that is life. She eventually finds peace when she explores her faith, but her decision to wear a hijab is something that comes with its own repercussions. The beauty and delicacy with which the author has discussed such delicate topics are eye openers for people who aren’t aware of it already and heartbreaking for those who can relate to it. The author has talked about a lot of things which most people fear to even discuss out loud, and I must commend the author for it. Also, for the fact that there is so much happening in this book, yet nothing collides with anything, it is like a carousel, it just keeps turning but you never get lost in it. “You do not laugh at someone who is trying.” The above quote is one of the things which stuck with me, because each character is trying, trying to be better, trying to break free, trying to love or be loved, trying to find peace, and it hit me, isn’t that all of us? Just trying to be. There is no reason not to read this book. It is reality shrouded in fiction, it is of the utmost importance and the most relevant book of today’s time. Buy the book here Follow my book journey here