ARC Review: An Emotion of Great Delight by Tahereh Mafi

“I think it was a case of expectations that made this one fall a bit short for me.”

~ Under the Covers

I wanted to like this book so much because I found the setting and characters would be deep and emotional. And this being my first book by this author, one thing I can say is that she does capture emotion well. I’ve wanted to read Tahereh Mafi since I listened to her speak about her Shatter Me series at NY Comic Con ages ago.

AN EMOTION OF GREAT DELIGHT is an overall sad book. I had this looming feeling while reading most of the book and just wanted a little happiness in the end. I think it was a case of expectations that made this one fall a bit short for me.

Shadi is a bit of a troubled teen. She’s navigating life in a very tense and hostile environment and at the same time there are expectations she must meet at home that are different than those of her friends around her because of her culture. I felt a bit put off by some of her actions and thinking when it came to her culture. I’m not Muslim but I did read reviews by members of that community after finishing this book and it really put in perspective those feelings of unease I felt while reading the book. So I encourage you to check out those kinds of reviews on this book. Either before or after reading it.

This book fell short of that social commentary book I was anticipating. It’s still a sad story about a girl that has terrible friends and is generally angry about a lot of things. Am I still happy to have read it? Absolutely. But am I left dying for the next book by this author? Not really. I was underwhelmed with the writing and the way she could capture my attention. Again, my expectation for that was high and it just never made it there.

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