Nadia Hashimi’s young adult novel, Spilled Ink, tells the story of a pair of Afghan teens finding their footing in suburban America
By Neha Kirpal
Spilled Ink: A simple story of complex race dynamics
Washington DC-based pediatrician turned international bestselling novelist Nadia Hashimi’s latest young adult novel, Spilled Ink (Quill Tree Books), is a story of Muslim, Afghan American siblings who face Islamophobia and xenophobia. The book’s writing is simple and straightforward, and can be enjoyed by young adults and grownups alike. Through a personal and engaging style of storytelling, it manages to convey a timely and relevant global message.
Yusuf and Yalda are seventeen-year-old Afghan American twins who live in a small suburban town in Virginia. Like any siblings, the brother and sister have their differences and enjoy playing harmless pranks on each other. One evening, Yalda secretly sneaks out to watch Yusuf performing with his band at a local venue. What’s even more exciting for her is the fact that Yusuf’s friend Keith asks her to go with him. However, the night has some unpleasant surprises in store.
When the opening band makes a racist joke about terrorists, Yusuf decides to take a stand by making an impulsive stunt responding to the hate speech. This gets a lot of mixed reactions from the crowd, and the incident boils over, leading to simmering tensions, controversy, and ultimately violence. Soon, there are videos, comments, and opinions flying all over the place. When people begin to boycott Yusuf and Yalda’s family’s Afghan restaurant, their parents get to know. And when Yusuf goes missing, and is later found seriously injured, everyone is scared.
Being Afghan teens in suburban America
Hashimi is herself the daughter of Afghan immigrants, something that is quite evident from the book’s prose. “The story is also about the truth that while Afghan refugees received during Operation Allies Welcome were not always met with open arms in every American community, there was a remarkable outpouring of hands-on support to soften their landing,” she writes in the author’s note.
In one instance, Yalda ponders what it means to be Afghan. The truth hits her hard—“So many Afghans across decades have been running. Away from violence, away from their homes, away from people they loved,” she muses. At their family restaurant, there is a poster of the National Geographic cover with the cliché photograph of the green-eyed Afghan refugee girl, “the one who haunts every Google search for ‘Afghan girl’.” Yalda’s teacher struggles with pronouncing her name correctly and asks her if she’s Middle Eastern or Persian. Even though she was born in the US, she routinely gets such reactions from people, and is also used to explaining herself to them.
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Further, it is obvious to Yalda that her parents are more conservative and strict; dating and relationships are taboo subjects, quite in contrast with the parents of many of her friends. Even though Keith feels that Yusuf and Yalda don’t look religious or extreme, Yalda wonders if he would change his opinion of her if he saw her in a headscarf at a masjid. While telling him about their family’s winter solstice holiday, which she is incidentally named after, she even wonders whether she is nothing but a curiosity to him instead of a crush.
Making sense of hate crimes
“I think of the young man in a gray suit and a soft pink tie, a smile that tells you he was the life of the party. The mom of six shot on the sidewalk of her quiet neighborhood. The three young adults who had been playing a board game were summoned outside and shot by an irate neighbor.” These are some of the thoughts that run through Yalda’s mind as she ponders about repeated incidents of people being attacked for being Muslim post-9/11.
Thousands of hate crime incidents are reported in the U.S. every year. The author notes that such incidents occur in supposedly safe places, such as homes, roads, schools, restaurants, and playgrounds. These usually show up in the form of graffiti or hate speeches as well as physical or emotional violence, especially post-9/11.
The book spotlights one such incident
Buried in the story is this reality of hate and fear portrayed sensitively through the journey of one family. When Yusuf becomes a victim of a hate crime, there is fortunately an outpouring of sympathy, support, and prayers for him.
In her author’s note at the end of the book, Hashmi writes, “We are imperfect creatures and too often approach others with assumptions and stereotypes, stigmas and hesitation. But we are also artists in a way, creating our stories and drawing connections. We are continually evolving beings at every stage of our lives and judgment can give way to grace.”
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Neha Kirpal is a freelance writer based in Delhi. She has worked for over a decade in print, television, and online media. Her diverse interests in the culture beat include books, music, travel, films, and theater.
Courtesy: India Currents (Posted on November 18, 2024)
