The Lines We Cross

Reviewed by: Elizabeth Andersen - Westbrook High School, Westbrook, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: January 9, 2018

Review

Abdel-Fattah examines the lines between the personal and the political in her new novel exploring immigration in a small Australian community. The narrators, Michael and Mina, are students at an elite high school. Michael’s father is the founder of Aussie Values, a group that disguises its racist policies in polite language. Mina was born in Afghanistan, where she lost her father and brother; her mother and step-father are looking to build a new life. Michael has always gone along with his father’s beliefs, but when he meets Mina, politics becomes personal and he begins to question the rhetoric he has heard his whole life. Both voices are well-developed and tackle hard issues on both sides while at the same time maintaining a Romeo and Juliet love story. Recommended for fans of Abdel-Fattah’s other novels and debut novel, Saints and Misfits by S.K. Ali.

Overall Book Score: excellent