The Weight of Our Sky - Hanna Alkaf

⭐ 9.5/10

(Originally written by Magdalene)

This wasn't an easy read, but it's one of the cases where I think it was worth it. It takes place in 1960s Kuala Lumpur, right after an election leads to a riot in the streets, with the Chinese and Malay attacking and killing each other. Melati, a teenager, finds herself surrounded by violence, and all she wants is to find her mother. But Melati has another challenge, which is that ever since her father died, she's been consumed by the need to count and tap things in the correct order in order to keep her mother safe, or else her mind is filled with images of her mother and other loved ones dying gory deaths.

It's obvious to the reader that Melati has OCD, but of course it's the 60s and mental illnesses aren't understood well. And so Melati is convinced that a Djinn lives in her head and is telling her that everything is her fault, and there are all these things she needs to do to prevent them from happening. It's heart-breaking, and I just wanted to hook Melati up with my girl Nancy so bad to help her learn how to deal with the compulsions and intrusive thoughts.

I think the author did a great job showing what it's like to live with untreated OCD, but the book is great in other ways too. It's fast-paced and intense (although maybe a little rushed), and Melati had some really great people helping her find her mother. The setting is very new in YA, and it has a great discussion of how mental health is seen in Muslim communities, as well as race problems not in North America.