A Very Large Expanse of Sea

---

A Very Large Expanse of Sea written by Tarareh Mafi, tells the story of a young 16 year old girl right after the events of 9/11. The novel follows the life of young 16 year old Shrin as she navigates life and highschool, being a Muslim/American teenage girl right after the 9/11 attacks. The novel is a reflection of Mafi’s own experience as a young teenage girl during that time. This novel touches on themes like identity, love, racism and bigotry.

After the attacks, Shirin is forced to move to a new town and slowly becomes fed up with the constant harassment and ridicule. Like many others  Shirin inevitably ends up developing very thick skin, and builds up a guard to shield herself from the cruel society she's faced with.

When Shrirn starts attending a new school she can't help but feel skeptical of everyone around her. Many proved to her that they couldn't be trusted. However, at her new school a young boy named Ocean starts to show her attention and slowly falls in love with her. She can't help but question his motives and finds it hard to trust him. But as time goes on she realizes he is different. The novel goes through their relationship as they operate through highschool being an interracial couple faced with many difficulties.

In an interview done by the Los Angeles Times, Mafi states that her novel is the “ most autobiographical thing I’ve ever written. So much of it is inspired by things I’ve experienced in my life — conversations I’ve had with people, things that have actually happened to me — but it’s streamlined for fiction” (French, 2018). Although the book is based on Mafi’s real life, she changes and combines many pivotal moments from her life into the novel, making it a fictional story.

Additionally, Shirin's love interest in the book, Ocean, is a white male. The novel touches on the complications of being a interracial couple, complications that Mafi has faced herself being married to a white man. However, she mentions in the interview that “ I met my husband [the writer Ransom Riggs] as an adult, and we were very different people than this character and her love interest” (French, 2018). This book defies gender stereotypes by depicting a female protagonist who overcomes obstacles and fights for her rights, despite the society she lives in.

Works Cited:

“Exclusive: Tahereh Mafi on Her next Book, ‘a Very Large Expanse of Sea,’ about a Muslim American Teen after 9/11.” Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2018, www.latimes.com/books/la-et-jc-tahereh-mafi-20180222-story.html#:~:text=The%20novel%20tackles%20bigotry%20and,to%20have%20a%20normal%20life.%E2%80%9D