Review: Hate Is Such A Strong Word by Sarah Ayoub

Hate Is Such A Strong Word by Sarah Ayoub
Released: 1st September 2013
Published by: HarperCollins Publishers Australia
Genre: YA Contemporary
Source: Bought
Pages: 256
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
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I hate being invisible. I hate that I still can′t fight my own battles. I hate that I can′t keep up with the demands of high school.

Sophie Kazzi is in Year 12 at an all-Lebanese, all-Catholic school where she is invisible, uncool and bored out of her brain. While she′s grown up surrounded by Lebanese friends, Lebanese neighbours and Lebanese shops, she knows there′s more to life than Samboosik and Baklawa, and she desperately wants to find it. Unfortunately, her father has antiquated ideas about women, curfews and the Lebanese ′way′. Bad news for Sophie, who was hoping to spend Year 12 fitting in and having fun - not babysitting her four younger siblings, or studying for final exams that will land her in an Accounting course she has no interest in.

 Just when it looks like Sophie′s year couldn′t get any more complicated, Shehadie Goldsmith arrives at school. With an Australian father and a Lebanese mother, he′s even more of a misfit than Sophie. And with his arrogant, questioning attitude, he also has a way of getting under her skin...

But when simmering cultural tensions erupt in violence, Sophie must make a choice that will threaten her family, friends and the cultural ties that have protected her all her life. Are her hates and complaints worth it? Or will she let go ... and somehow find her place?

This is a book that caught my eye at BTCYA - and it certainly didn't disappoint! In Hate Is Such A Strong Word, Sarah Ayoub has created a fantastic and memorable novel where the main character is challenging cultural stereotypes, sticking to morals and values which she has for herself and taking the big step out of her comfort zone to ascertain her true identity within the broader Australian community. This novel is one in which I applaud the author for exploring the issues which can arise due to prejudices and misconceptions regarding various ethnic enclaves and finding the balance between maintaining aspects of one's cultural heritage with the 'new ways' from the country in which their family has settled. 

I think about the fact that lots of the people around me are content to live in their little squares, without ever considering the plights of others. Suddenly the phrase 'ignorance is bliss' makes perfect sense, and I understand why half the kids at my school have pretty blissful lives. 

What really stood out to me about this book was the main character and narrator Sophie. Coming from a Lebanese background in a relatively strict household with a father who wants to shelter her from any possible dangers of the outside world, she does stand out from some of her friends when it comes to having an early curfew, or not going to places at all because of the rules she is bound by. While she respected her family and their values, she also had those of her own. I admired her for the way in which she was assertive when others went against the new half-Australian guy Shehadie Goldsmith who came into the picture at school - even though it was a gradual progression from sticking to the crowd to being brave enough to voice her own opinion.

What is this situation if not an opportunity to grow, learn and prosper? Difference can make us stronger; we just have to be strong enough to accept it. 

Aside from going into the multifaceted nature of Lebanese culture regarding social expectations, family gatherings and even the food (which sounded delicious), I really like how this novel looks at the universal experiences which all teens can relate to such as friendship dynamics shifting, boy troubles and getting along with siblings and other family members. All of these relationships are ones that Sophie had to juggle, and I felt that the depiction of these and her ways of coping with them were very relatable and realistic. I found that Hate Is Such A Strong Word is quite character-driven at its core, and with one that Sarah Ayoub has created so wonderfully, it only made me enjoy this book even more. That being said, the secondary characters also have their own distinct features and problems to deal with, adding further depth to the story.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This is my first read by Sarah Ayoub, and I can definitely say that it was an impressive one. No doubt when I see her next novel on the shelf I'll be picking it up with eager hands - because if it's anything of the same calibre as this one; then it's going to be fantastic! In all, this gets a well-deserved five stars from me.