Scan barcode
A review by bookishrealm
Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, Adiba Jaigirdar
3.0
I think I wanted to love this one so much more! It wasn't a bad book, but I expected a little more from both these authors. CW: racism, Islamophobia, death of a child, grief
Four Eids and a Funeral at it's core is a love story about two young adults who have lost their connection for an unknown reason. Tiwa and Said were close growing up and spent a great deal of time together at their local Islamic Center; however, when Said goes to boarding school the two lose a connection. It's only through the death of their hometown librarian that the two are forced to reconnect with each other and work to save the Islamic Center after it burns down.
What Worked: I'm not Muslim so I can't speak to how other members of the Muslim community feel about the representation in the book; however, I appreciated that YA is getting another book that focuses on celebrations and religions outside of the Judeo-Christian sphere. Overall, we're starting to see a lot more representation regarding Eid in children's literature and I love that. There were a few conversations that Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar had throughout the course of the novel that I appreciated including Tiwa's experience as a Black Muslim, the grief that the family experiences after the death of her brother, the importance of the Islamic Community Center, as well as navigating familial relationships. Although the topics could have been discussed at greater length, it was nice to see them included in the text.
What Didn't Work: The pacing of this one felt a little off in some areas. There are flashbacks of Tiwa and Said during their childhood including previous Eid's that were celebrated together, but they felt surface level especially the one that should have connected Said to Tiwa's experience of familial loss and grief. It prevented me from being able to connect to their relationship as friends and their blooming relationships as something that is more than friends. The reveal was probably the biggest disappointment of the book. There is a very specific reason why Tiwa and Said stop communicating when he's off at boarding school. Eventually readers are clued into that reason and it just didn't work well. It was outside forces at play and the justification for why there was any interference wasn't plotted well. It didn't make me root for Tiwa and Said or become more invested in their relationship. Unfortunately, I was more invested in them as individuals than as companions.
Overall, this was a solid read. It was slightly disappointing, but there were specific elements that I did enjoy and I would be interested in seeing these two pair up again for another novel.
Four Eids and a Funeral at it's core is a love story about two young adults who have lost their connection for an unknown reason. Tiwa and Said were close growing up and spent a great deal of time together at their local Islamic Center; however, when Said goes to boarding school the two lose a connection. It's only through the death of their hometown librarian that the two are forced to reconnect with each other and work to save the Islamic Center after it burns down.
What Worked: I'm not Muslim so I can't speak to how other members of the Muslim community feel about the representation in the book; however, I appreciated that YA is getting another book that focuses on celebrations and religions outside of the Judeo-Christian sphere. Overall, we're starting to see a lot more representation regarding Eid in children's literature and I love that. There were a few conversations that Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar had throughout the course of the novel that I appreciated including Tiwa's experience as a Black Muslim, the grief that the family experiences after the death of her brother, the importance of the Islamic Community Center, as well as navigating familial relationships. Although the topics could have been discussed at greater length, it was nice to see them included in the text.
What Didn't Work: The pacing of this one felt a little off in some areas. There are flashbacks of Tiwa and Said during their childhood including previous Eid's that were celebrated together, but they felt surface level especially the one that should have connected Said to Tiwa's experience of familial loss and grief. It prevented me from being able to connect to their relationship as friends and their blooming relationships as something that is more than friends. The reveal was probably the biggest disappointment of the book. There is a very specific reason why Tiwa and Said stop communicating when he's off at boarding school. Eventually readers are clued into that reason and it just didn't work well. It was outside forces at play and the justification for why there was any interference wasn't plotted well. It didn't make me root for Tiwa and Said or become more invested in their relationship. Unfortunately, I was more invested in them as individuals than as companions.
Overall, this was a solid read. It was slightly disappointing, but there were specific elements that I did enjoy and I would be interested in seeing these two pair up again for another novel.