A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi is the story of the life of a Muslim girl who lives in United States in the aftermath of 9/11. The writing style of the story is simple and direct which works since its objective is to communicate a message. The plot is the highlight of the story. I love how Mafi attacks racism from all fronts. Through the main character, Shirin, the author communicates how discrimination not only affects its prey but also those around them and even the predator. Furthermore, the author discusses other conflicts in our society besides racism like ignorance and dysfunctional relationships that nourish discrimination even more. Furthermore, Mafi does and incredible job in balancing the somewhat dark tones of the story with lighthearted moments by including a young and innocent romance and real friendships in the form of the break-dancing club. The club, especially, is a great tool to show the reader the real Shirin and how greatly racism has affected her everyday life. On the other hand, the romance reflected how the race and religion you are born into affects differently a person's life, innocence and way of thinking. Besides the plot, the characters were also very well developed. Most of them represented conflicts that are still present in our society and served as tools to show Shirin that it was possible to focus on the good instead of the bad. The only characters that were not as developed were the high school kids that served as "villains" in Shirin's life. However, I saw this as an intentional action by Mafi to express how even nameless faces can greatly affect a person's life. Furthermore, by keeping the student body faceless, the author explores the hypocrisy of high school and how normal it has become for teenagers to "go with the flow" instead of being their own person.
I would recommend A Very Large Expanse of Sea to all readers out there no matter their age, race, gender, religion, etc.! I guarantee that you'll have a great time and at the same time you'll learn more about our world and the hardships some people in our society live through.
A More In Depth Review
***SPOILER ALERT***
The book focuses on exploring how discrimination affects the life of the person being attacked and those around them. Through Shirin, the author explores the dire effects racism can have on a person's life, their mental health and actions. I found particularly special that Mafi does not only write about how horrible discrimination can be, but also that she explores how being discriminated against can affect a person's personality and outlook of the world. Through the following quotes,
"I'd been so determined not to be stereotyped that I'd begun to stereotype everyone around me."
"I could no longer distinguish people from monsters."
Mafi writes perfectly how paranoid a person can become when they have been attacked for so long. In her story, Mafi explores how racism affects the victim's relationship with others that may have good intentions. Shirin has been subjected through such abuse that she has come to lose faith in the goodness in people and even start judging them without a real cause. Most authors writing a story about discrimination would focus on writing the terrible actions the victim goes through and how that affects them directly through mental health problems like depression. However, Mafi goes further by exploring one of the main conflicts racism and discrimination cause: it instills hate and distrust in the hearts of the victim.
The author not only explores this conflict, but she also uses the other characters so Shirin can realize how much she has let racism affect her life and who she is. Through the story, the reader sees Shirin as a person who has learned to be alone and only count on herself. However, by interacting with the break-dancing club and Ocean, Shirin comes to realize that she has created a wall around herself and become someone she doesn't recognize. Shirin is a girl who is proud of who she is and does not let racism change her believes and convictions as seen when she refuses to stop wearing her hijab. However, without realizing it, Shirin has let others change who she is and it is through her new friends that she comes to realize by how much.
"I'm positive there are horrible people in the world. But there are a lot of other people who are looking at you because they think you're interesting." - Ocean
"You can be mad about it, but, like, you seem to think everyone is horrible." -Jacobi
"But if you walk away the second it gets has, how will any of us ever learn?" -Mr. Jordan
Through quotes like these from the other characters, Shirin realizes that she has let the bigots actions take her fighting spirit and that she is letting them win by giving in to the hate and darkness. Mafi uses the other characters as a way for Shirin to see herself through the eyes of others who are not her attackers. Furthermore, the other characters serve as a way for Shirin to debate and reflect on who she was before the discrimination, who she is now that she has suffered so much and who she wants to become despite it.
As a Latin-American woman, this story resonated deeply in my heart. I have lived all my life in my country and have therefore experienced few instances of racism. However, only those few were enough to make me worry and over think the actions of others. Like Shirin, I would question
"Are you a racist? Or are you having a bad day?".
Furthermore, I was raised in a somewhat misogynistic environment and have had to fight in order to be seen among my peers and family as something other than a "girl". For these reasons and more, I love that Mafi created a strong POC female character that has the strength to fight every day for what she believes in. It gives me the strength to do the same.
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