This book begins in Afaf's present day, where she is the principal of an Islamic girls school that is the target of a mass shooting. It then immediately jumps back in time to her early childhood. Most of the book is spent exploring Afaf's past, her childhood and her journey into adulthood, with flashes back to the shooting taking place between each major time period of her life. These flashes of the shooting are told mainly from the POV of the shooter and are both jarring and disturbing to read.
Afaf's past is littered with pain and growth and eventually joy and love. This part of the story begins when Afaf is ten years old and her older sister goes missing. It follows the impact that this has on herself and her family, and focuses on how "other" Afaf feels both inside and outside of her home. For years Afaf's family is torn apart by loss and Afaf struggles with no sense of belonging, until her father first discovers and then introduces her to the Muslim community. It is through her newfound faith and community that Afaf finally connects with herself.
This book showcases the complexities of being a 1st generation immigrant, and of being both Arab and Muslim in a pre and post 9/11 world. The reader is emersed in Middle Eastern culture, foods and language and customs, in a way that is rich and welcoming, especially as Afaf begins to embrace her faith.
The Beauty of Your Face is at times incredibly beautiful and often intensely painful. I think I cried through the entirety of the last 20% of it. It is so relevant to current times and however difficult this book may be, I urge you to pick to this up.
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Stop what you’re doing and order this book!
The Beauty of Your Face is the story of a Palestinian-American which is why I wanted to read it. However, as I read the novel, I started to realize that the feelings of inadequacy, contempt for family dynamics, loss, and the burden of lifelong grief are universal. The reader can find parts of Afaf that they can identify with no matter where they’re from. Sahar Mustafah’s writing style transports the reader from reality to another family member of Afaf’s- as though the reader is there as another sibling watching everything happen from the kitchen table. Your heart will break. You will root for Afaf, you’ll see bits of yourself and your parents in her and your own parents, and you’ll walk away realizing that we’re all more similar than different as we navigate this journey of life. I could not put it down, and I read it one day. If you’re looking for a novel that will give you a cathartic experience- this is it. Absolutely stunning work.
