Margin Notes

Part ghost story part epic adventure novel The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home will haunt you & have you in stitches. Not because she put wax on your stairs while you were sleeping Edward, but for other. more novel appropriate, reasons.

I’m not going to lie to you, it’s gnarly. There are a lot of animal guts – more than you’d expect from an old lady but that’s the thing with our antagonist (and she certainly does antagonize), she’s unexpected. How did this old woman get into your home? Why is she still here? How does she watch you (and she certainly does watch you) without eyes? To find out this & more you’ve got to read the book.

The novel is written entirely from the perspective of The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home & details her childhood and unrelentingly long life. It’s got everything: doomed young love, doomed middle aged love, doomed old woman love. It’s got people using their trauma to propel them forward and it’s got people letting their trauma propel them to revenge! It’s equal parts vicious & voracious. It is not a novel for the weak of heart (because of the animal guts.) but it is a brilliant and well-crafted piece of literature for anyone looking for something a touch macabre.

Esther Soucoup is a BEd Student at the University of New Brunswick. They’ve been involved in several local theater productions, most recently being Ask You Like it produced by Bard in the Barracks. Esther has become friends with her Faceless old Woman because she talks to her cat at 4am while they’re sleeping, which stops the cat from destroying everything they own. It doesn’t stop the old lady… but baby steps. Baby steps…

Salahudin and Noor are teenagers growing up in the desert town of Juniper, California, who dream of escaping their working-class lives. Salahudin’s parents immigrated from Pakistan before he was born, purchasing a run-down motel with the hope of a fresh start. Noor immigrates from Pakistan after an earthquake kills her parents, where she and Salahudin become best friends, both labelled outsiders by their young classmates. As they grow up, their bond intensifies until unrequited love causes the friendship to dissolve, just as Salahudin’s family life, and Noor’s academic future, fall apart. A sequence of tragedies, followed by bad decisions, forces Salahudin and Noor to face each other and learn to define themselves in an unfair world. Through the themes of love, family and forgiveness, and the use of alternating perspectives, Salahudin and Noor in the present and Salahudin’s mother in the past, Sabaa Tahir showcases that fear and love connect us all.

Tahir highlights the injustices faced by people of colour, in addition to the everyday struggles they face. Her writing makes the reader rage along with Salahudin and Noor as they face racism and injustices no one should have to endure. You will want to reach into this book and comfort the characters; make them feel safe. Not only does Tahir capture the effects of generational trauma on young people, but she also captures the intricacies of family. Sometimes those who care for us the most have no blood relation, and who you consider family is for the individual to decide.

This book should be in every High School English classroom, and I would even go as far as to suggest its use for book clubs. Its target audience is mature students, grade eleven or twelve, as it deals with physical and sexual abuse, trauma, addiction, Islamophobia, and parental death. Students will see themselves in Salahudin and Noor, regardless of their skin colour, religion, or family dynamic. Fears associated with an unknown future, and disappointing those closest to you, are familiar to us all, regardless of background. I would not hesitate to give this book to any student who enjoyed The Hate U Give or They Both Die at the End.

Tanya Senechal is a Pre-Service Teacher completing her Education degree at the University of New Brunswick. She is an avid reader of YA fiction and YA fantasy who sometimes reads passages aloud for her cat, Nebula.

How Do You Live? tells the story of Jun’ichi “Copper” Honda, a teenage boy growing up in Tokyo. The book was first published in 1937, but only recently translated into English for the first time after the announcement of a film adaptation directed by Hayao Miyazaki through his Studio Ghibli (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro).

After the death of his father, Copper forms a close bond with his uncle, who becomes a mentor figure as Copper navigates ethical questions about how to live a good life. The story follows a loose narrative, but is largely episodic: an event from Copper’s daily life at school or with friends is recounted and his uncle responds with insights and questions in a notebook he shares with Copper, helping his nephew to see how the event relates to larger issues that he will continue to reflect upon throughout his life. These cover a wide range of subjects, from friendship and heroism, to the relations of production and poverty. The uncle’s notes are not condescending, but supportive and challenging. For example, when Copper shares his discovery of a theory about human relations, his uncle explains that many thinkers have explored this idea before, but encourages him by remarking that it is an achievement to have come to that understanding independently. The writing is approachable and pleasing, with many beautiful descriptions, and readers will quickly become attached to Copper and his friends.

How Do You Live? is a great book for young people curious about exploring big questions. It is an excellent entry to philosophical thinking and will encourage young people to reflect upon themselves, their families and friendships, and their place in the world.

Iain McMaster grew up in Montréal and is an avid reader of translated fiction. He is working towards a Bachelor of Education degree at the University of New Brunswick and holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from the University of Edinburgh.