Monday, May 02, 2022

All My Rage: A Novel

Sabaa Tahir had previously written the Ember in the Ashes series set in fantasy Rome-like world. All My Rage feels like it fits right in the series - except that it takes place in modern California. The characters feel very similar to those in the fantasy series. I liked this book more because I found it easier to relate to contemporary California than a fictional ancient world. This novel even has its version of "magic" at the end. (The magic isn't fantasy "supernatural", but instead a string of coincidences and actions that felt implausible, yet provide the "satisfying" ending.)

The novel centers around a group of high school students living out in the Mojave desert. The female lead (Noor) came from Pakistan after her family was killed. She lives with an uncle that can be cruel and desires that she stay to work in a liquor store rather than go to college. The male lead (Salahudin)has decided to sell opioids to help his hotel-owning family through financial hard times. The other characters are bit players to be foils to the leads (such as the racists valedictorian, the single mother drug addict). There is a huge amount of suffering to go around, both external and internal. I felt sympathy for the characters as they tried to navigate situations and cringes when they made mistakes. 

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