I love I hate I miss my sister, a fiction novel by Amélie Sarn is a heartfelt story about a young girl and her sister. Sohane and Djelila are almost opposites. Sohane is older, but loves her younger, carefree sister Djelila. Djelila is popular, and wears whatever she wants. Some boys criticise her for not being religious enough, being that she skips praying and wears seductive clothes. On the other hand, Sohane is criticised for being TOO religious. Wanting to wear her headscarf to school, she is forbidden to come back, and begins home school. She still admires her younger sister, yet it is painful to see Djelila abandoning her religion. Out of the blue, Djelila is murdered by one of the boys that made fun of her for not being religious. Set aflame in the basement of their apartment, Sohane thinks she will never recover from the death of her beloved sister. In this book, the author goes deeper into relationships, and how one side can seriously effect the other. Sohane is the older sister and she does really love her younger, more vibrant, more beautiful sister, Djelila, but she has a difficult time understanding her actions. Sohane is growing more faithful and wants to show that faith by wearing the headscarf outlawed by French law. Djelila dresses in a more western, provocative style and her interactions on the sports field and elsewhere draws some unneeded attention. Translated from the French and the first publication in the US, this is a heartbreaking and thought-provoking story that features Muslim teens. Although the themes are universal – following family norms and expectations or breaking out to become one’s own person – this book is unique in a couple of ways. The narration by Sohane is often in the manner of speaking to her sister directly, so the emotions are raw and real. The whole story is revealed slowly in a series of flashbacks. The simple fact that the girls are Muslim (Algerian living in France) makes for a different perspective than most teen novels. I liked this book, although it wasn’t the best I’ve read, but since there are few YA novels that feature Muslim girls and the dilemmas and emotions are certainly universal, I would recommend it.NOTE: the blurb on Goodreads compares it to The Tyrant's Daughter. Although both feature Muslim characters and there are some similarities, I found The Tyrant's Daughter to be much more compelling.
What do You think about Un Foulard Pour Djelila (2000)?
Chapters alternate between past and present in this poignant, powerful story translated from French.
—Crl300
interesting topic but felt unfinished/underdeveloped as I finished it.
—CGLIOTT0209
A quick and thought-provoking read.
—clm09123687701
