When Nishat comes out to her parents, they say she can be anyone she wants - as long as she isn’t herself. Because Muslim girls aren’t lesbians. Nishat doesn’t want to hide who she is, but she also doesn’t want to lose her relationship with her family. And her life only gets harder once a childhood friend walks back into her life.
Flavia is beautiful and charismatic and Nishat falls for her instantly. But when a school competition invites students to create their own businesses, both Flavia and Nishat choose to do henna, even though Flavia is appropriating Nishat’s culture. Amidst sabotage and school stress, their lives get more tangled - but Nishat can’t quite get rid of her crush on Flavia, and realises there might be more to her than she realised.
A little lighter on the romance than I had hoped for, but I loved and appreciated the multiple issues explored. Jaigirdar takes on identity, racism, outing, homophobia, and cultural appropriation, and though it sounds like a lot, it was organically woven into the story. I liked getting Jaigirdar's perspective as well. Like Nishat, she is a Muslim originally from Bangladesh who is growing up in Ireland, and I appreciated seeing the situation from the point of view of someone not based in America. I don't know if she was supposed to, but Priti, Nishat's sister, was a scene stealer. I adored her, and was jealous of the bond she and Nishat shared. They were definitely #SisterGoals.
Overall: A really strong debut, and I am looking forward to reading more from Jaigirdar.
