She Wore Red Trainers
Summary:
Eighteen-year-old Amira is an art-school student who has resolved never to get married, feeling that it just takes away too many of the choices that are open to her as a young Muslim woman. When new neighbour, eighteen-year-old Ali, arrives in her neighbourhood, and is dedicated to following a life that is halal following the death of his mother, life starts to get complicated for both teenagers. They are drawn to each other though various misunderstandings conspire to keep them apart.
Edited by: Dublin City University
Comment:
This love story focuses on two teenagers who observe the Muslim faith and are drawn to each other, in a time when their respective lives are complicated. Amina’s life is complicated by her mother’s depression following another marriage breakdown, the siblings she must help to look after, and the weight of gendered community expectations in response to which Amina has staunchly sworn off marriage. Ali’s family has just moved to London following the death of his mother and father-son relationships with all three sons are fraught in different ways: Ali feels his father needs to listen to each son more carefully. The love story between Amira and Ali develops mostly through their respective inner monologues, where the reader can see how similar they are in many ways, and through little gestures when they meet together in person in the company of others. Yet perhaps the strongest elements of the novel is how Amina and Ali find their place and settle into their identities without sacrificing their commitment to their religion or to their own internal voice.