Spilled Ink

Gr 9 Up–Yalda is thrilled to see her twin brother Yusuf’s band perform at a local venue. However, when the opening band makes hateful remarks about the Afghan refugees in their town, Yusuf instinctively claps back, kickstarting an aggressive tension in their neighborhood. Soon after, Yusuf suffers a “mysterious” fall that hospitalizes him. Now, Yalda must wade through a frightened family, confusing friendships, and a town on edge to find her voice and discover what really happened to her brother. Hashimi’s debut YA novel shines light on the reality of how prejudice and hate harm a community, though its mismatched narrative imperfectly delivers this message. The story has a solid premise with intriguing characters that drive a need for change in their divided town. The overarching theme of how some harm can’t be undone, as hate breeds a disconnect from empathy and understanding, hits well as Yalda’s family grieves Yusuf’s hospitalization. However, Yalda’s conflict with other characters falls flat at times; especially her unnecessary, fizzled-out romance with no lasting impact on the plot. This may be a result of some secondary characters lacking development, which consequently creates an unevenly paced storyline. Yalda’s family is Afghan American. An author’s note expands on refugees, prejudice, and hate crimes in America.