Until I saw Saints and Misfits in the “teen” section at my local library, it was not a book I had heard of. Although, seeing a Muslim girl on the front cover got me very interested in reading the summary. And then after taking a slightly longer glance at the summary, I had no choice but to temporarily borrow it. Once I started to read and then read some more, I became emotionally invested in the storyline. My mind was OBSESSED with the juicy drama.
Was the emotional investment worth it? I would say so. And I would also say that the emotional investment justifies writing this book review. My opinions will appear very soon, but as always, let’s start with the synopsis.
TW: Mentions of sexual assault, a death, Islamophobia, and relationship conflicts. Read at your own risk. A few spoilers also exist.
Synopsis: Saints and Misfits centers a teenage Muslim girl named Janna Yusuf, who is multiethnic (Egyptian and Indian). Although she nears the end of the school year, she deals with a series of events, ranging from her parents’ divorce, to being sexually assaulted by her friend’s cousin, to her brother, Muhammad, returning home from Columbia University. The title Saints and Misfits is based on the three categories Janna puts people into: saints (like Sarah, Muhammad’s partner), misfits (like herself), and monsters (like her perpetrator, Farooq). Because Farooq is beloved at the mosque and is related to her close friend, Janna does not feel safe about exposing him as a sexual predator. On top of all that, she also feels pressured to follow every rule of Islam, especially as it pertains to fashion and romance with non-Muslims.
An interesting thing to note is that while her mother is Muslim, her father is not. In fact, he criticizes Janna for wearing burkinis and hijabs while vacationing in Florida. A couple of his remarks were, “You could have said, No, I’m not wearing your burkini, Mom,” and “How come you have to hide your God-given body?” That says a lot about how he perceives Islam, with modesty shaming in the mix. Furthermore, Islam prohibits Muslim women from marrying non-Muslim men, full-stop. There’s no extensive backstory on the marital conflicts Janna’s parents faced, but religious differences might have been a big part of why they divorced.
Review: Saints and Misfits is honestly compelling! Reading it made me think to myself, “As a TV show, this could be one of THE BEST teen dramas out there.” I know that TV shows/movies are often not better than the movie, but for real. It gets bonus points for centering a Muslim’s perspective, because there’s a lot of misinformation and Islamophobia in the media from non-Muslims. As the author, S.K. Ali is Muslim herself, there’s no denying that the representation is authentic.
This book discusses Islam with nuance. There’s Janna questioning whether or not she may date a non-Muslim White boy. There’s a part where Janna doesn’t wear a hijab for gym class and photos of her without one get circulated on social media, causing intense criticism. It doesn’t help that her gym teacher pronounces hijab as “hajeeb” and continues doing so, despite being corrected several times. There’s another part where Janna studies for and participates in a statewide Islamic quiz bowl alongside teammates from her mosque. There are other events that occur besides those three, but the Muslim experiences in Saints and Misfits contain multiple layers and dimensions that make the characters feel real. That’s the kind of representation that NEEDS to be seen throughout all forms of media.
There are different parts of the book that provoke emotions such as sadness and embarrassment. A couple of them are when Janna’s friend Tats tells her business without approval and when Janna’s elderly friend Mr. Ram dies. Those kinds of moments lure me into books. Even though they aren’t visual like movies, having the scenes play out in my mind with voices, faces, movements, and emotions tugs at my heartstrings. Effective executions of imagery and mood motivate me to finish books.
The writing also kept me glued to the story, and it was easy for me to hear Janna’s voice. The realism was well-executed with the writing. Although one weakness is how wordy some sentences are. Some of them could’ve been shorter and more concise. And a few attempts to showcase teenage angst fell short. I mean, read this sentence where Janna describes her moody playlist: “Angry, sad, punch-him-where-it-hurts-most-but-don’t-’cause-you-don’t-want-to-touch-him, only-crush-his-dirty-little-heart playlist.” That’s try-hard humor that could’ve been conveyed with way fewer words. For example, it could’ve just been “Angry, sad, punch-him-where-it-hurts-most playlist.” instead of adding all that other fluff.
And the main weakness of this book (and why I can’t give a 5 star rating) is the ending. While Janna eventually confronts Farooq while masking herself with a niqab* (thanks to her friend Sausun), there’s no satisfying wrap-up of what happens after confronting him. I know that sexual predators are not always held accountable, but come on. Muhammad expressed his remorse for not understanding how Janna felt, but the story could’ve explained the consequences of Farooq’s actions. There could’ve been an epilogue detailing what happened to him (i.e., losing revered standing at the mosque, feeling unstable in life). Or better yet, the part about her school crush’s party could’ve been totally cut out.
P.S. I also think the very beginning of the story could’ve been better executed. It was hard to envision the scene where Janna visits Florida with her father and stepfamily. The location of her hometown is also unclear (except that she isn’t very far from Chicago). Other than those critiques, the descriptions were effective in provoking imagery and teleporting me to the story’s world. On a random note, [Saint] Sarah was portrayed in the book as really pretty and nicely dressed. The descriptive imagery really brought those qualities out. Ahh, the way I envision her… she’s an interesting character as well.
Final Verdict: Despite the ending being lackluster, Saints and Misfits is a book I recommend to anyone craving an entertaining story. The portrayals of Janna’s experiences as a Muslim felt raw, realistic, and multidimensional. Alongside her dedication to Islam, she loves Flannery O’Connor and visiting senior citizens at a community center. It’s easy to get hooked to the story and relate to at least one of the characters, as well as feel anger, sadness, surprise, and a variety of emotions. It’s a really, really good drama. And me giving a book a few critiques doesn’t mean I don’t love it. I just love to think about what I read, so that I can write book reviews like this with honesty.
Now onto the second book, Misfit in Love. I’ll catch up with y’all later…
*A niqab is not the same thing as a hijab. Hijabs are headscarves that do not cover one’s face, while niqabs are veils that cover all facial features except for one’s eyes (visual differences shown here).
