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A review by inkerly
The Henna Wars by Adiba Jaigirdar
4.0
The culture, the henna, the pride, gives me...
LIFE. The culture and spirit of Bengali pride runs rampant in this book, and by the end of it I now have engrained in my memory at least 8 Bengali words for family, cultural customs, and more. I love that the author draws you into this culture, and also the setting of the story which takes place in Dublin, Ireland, also where the author grew up. This was a clever book that discussed themes from cultural pride, to the thin line between appreciation and cultural appropriation, to brown queer invisibility and acceptance,
to the trials of teenagehood.
Some things that stood out to me. The focus of henna, and of Bengali culture. Actually the author does a good job of having each character come with their own culture and their own interests. Flavia is Brazilian and Irish. Chaewon is Korean. Nishat and Priti of course are Muslim Bengalees. Chyna is some blend of European ancestry. Their backgrounds are an integral part to this story and they are all very proud of it. I also enjoyed Nishats competitive spirit and the “war” of the henna businesses, at least up until the darker moment of it. Seeing someone so passionate about something — and able to evoke that passion to others— is so beautiful.
It was also refreshing to see A brown gay woman —how often—how often do we get that? And see her support system from her sister, her friends, —and even at the end, her parents! That kinda made me gush.
Some things I could’ve done without: I hate to admit, but I have to agree with some of the reviews here about how immature the writing (and characters) feel. It does get better as you read on, and the plot stands on its own, but the first few chapters were a slog to get through. I don’t know if it’s because the characters are supposed to be very young (Im from America and an unfamiliar with the term Junior Certs), or if they’re just meant to be very rudimentary, simple-thinking individuals. I have to assume that Nishat is 13/14 because I honestly can’t see her being 15+ with the way she thinks.
Nishat, the main character, is a very... hot and cold person. When she is mad or heated, she’s furious; it doesn’t take much for her to completely adopt a me vs. then mentality when she discovers her crush Flavia and Flavias cousin Chyna, decide to start their own henna business. But in some instances— and other periods throughout the book— her anger seems to be more hotheadedness and I just disagreed on so many levels with how she would rationalize going about things. It’s easy to see why her character would rub some people the wrong way
Then the other thing I didn’t like was the
And that’s what gets me. For all the deep discussions, revelations, character development, etc around culture appropriation and cultural appreciation, and being able to embrace your diversity in a sea of white faces.... the conversation on homophobia, queer phobia, and LGBTQIA pride falls FLAT. Like hard flat. There are many attempts to try, and I think the only people that have some turnaround are Nishat’s parents (their story is the most interesting and understanding). But everyone else? Either is “girl power” from the start of Nishat admitting her homosexuality or is “ugh.. can you believe she’s gay?” . And then her sister Priti with the nerve to
She should’ve been slapped. No questions, just slapped.
But yeah no one else in the story really gets a newer view or comes to an understanding about Nishat’s sexuality despite the fact that many characters do in fact get an understanding or at least recognize the flaws in their previous notions about cultural appropriation. And this was a huge part of the story’s plot so of course it’s a huge part of my issue with the story. With race ethnicity and sexuality being so interwoven it seems odd that two out of the three were executed in discussion far more elaborately than the third.
Overall though, if you're looking for a cute YA read about henna and heartache (ugh, I hate the punny romantic in me) and are also racially conscious I think this book will be a great read for you.
3.75 stars.
LIFE. The culture and spirit of Bengali pride runs rampant in this book, and by the end of it I now have engrained in my memory at least 8 Bengali words for family, cultural customs, and more. I love that the author draws you into this culture, and also the setting of the story which takes place in Dublin, Ireland, also where the author grew up. This was a clever book that discussed themes from cultural pride, to the thin line between appreciation and cultural appropriation, to brown queer invisibility and acceptance,
to the trials of teenagehood.
Some things that stood out to me. The focus of henna, and of Bengali culture. Actually the author does a good job of having each character come with their own culture and their own interests. Flavia is Brazilian and Irish. Chaewon is Korean. Nishat and Priti of course are Muslim Bengalees. Chyna is some blend of European ancestry. Their backgrounds are an integral part to this story and they are all very proud of it. I also enjoyed Nishats competitive spirit and the “war” of the henna businesses, at least up until the darker moment of it. Seeing someone so passionate about something — and able to evoke that passion to others— is so beautiful.
It was also refreshing to see A brown gay woman —how often—how often do we get that? And see her support system from her sister, her friends, —and even at the end, her parents! That kinda made me gush.
Some things I could’ve done without: I hate to admit, but I have to agree with some of the reviews here about how immature the writing (and characters) feel. It does get better as you read on, and the plot stands on its own, but the first few chapters were a slog to get through. I don’t know if it’s because the characters are supposed to be very young (Im from America and an unfamiliar with the term Junior Certs), or if they’re just meant to be very rudimentary, simple-thinking individuals. I have to assume that Nishat is 13/14 because I honestly can’t see her being 15+ with the way she thinks.
Nishat, the main character, is a very... hot and cold person. When she is mad or heated, she’s furious; it doesn’t take much for her to completely adopt a me vs. then mentality when she discovers her crush Flavia and Flavias cousin Chyna, decide to start their own henna business. But in some instances— and other periods throughout the book— her anger seems to be more hotheadedness and I just disagreed on so many levels with how she would rationalize going about things. It’s easy to see why her character would rub some people the wrong way
Then the other thing I didn’t like was the
Spoiler
somewhat unresolved issue of the person that outs her. Like what the heck?? No resolution nothing. And the person who enabled it in the first place is not even given a stern conversation for more than a minute. I don’t think that moment where Nishat gets outed to her entire all-girls school is even delved into. Like, it’s literally a hate crime. LITERALLY. HARASSMENT.And that’s what gets me. For all the deep discussions, revelations, character development, etc around culture appropriation and cultural appreciation, and being able to embrace your diversity in a sea of white faces.... the conversation on homophobia, queer phobia, and LGBTQIA pride falls FLAT. Like hard flat. There are many attempts to try, and I think the only people that have some turnaround are Nishat’s parents (their story is the most interesting and understanding). But everyone else? Either is “girl power” from the start of Nishat admitting her homosexuality or is “ugh.. can you believe she’s gay?” . And then her sister Priti with the nerve to
Spoiler
fix her mouth to say that Nishat coming out to her was WEIGHING A TOLL ON HER.She should’ve been slapped. No questions, just slapped.
But yeah no one else in the story really gets a newer view or comes to an understanding about Nishat’s sexuality despite the fact that many characters do in fact get an understanding or at least recognize the flaws in their previous notions about cultural appropriation. And this was a huge part of the story’s plot so of course it’s a huge part of my issue with the story. With race ethnicity and sexuality being so interwoven it seems odd that two out of the three were executed in discussion far more elaborately than the third.
Overall though, if you're looking for a cute YA read about henna and heartache (ugh, I hate the punny romantic in me) and are also racially conscious I think this book will be a great read for you.
3.75 stars.