Rating: 3/5
Spoiler-Free Review! That's right, this one's spoiler free so you can read straight through!
I know you must have seen The Henna Wars floating around bookstagram lately, and as February is the month of love I figured it would make for the perfect Valentine's weekend review.
At least, that's what I thought when I first decided to get a copy. Then I finished it in three days and was left kind of disappointed, to tell the truth. So yes, this is still a Valentine's review, but it might not be as energetic or joyous as I first hoped.
The Henna Wars follows Nishat, a Muslim girl living in Ireland with her Bengali family. As you might expect, the news that she is a lesbian doesn't go over too well with most people, both within her family and at the Catholic girls school she attends. But then she meets Flavia, and there's maybe possibly a potential that she might understand? Well, that is until henna comes between them.
The main driving point for this book is a competition in their business class which sees the girls developing their own small business, marketing it amongst those they know, and competing not just for who can make the most profit but for who can best manage their business, paperwork and all.
I liked this, as a plot point. It was a good way of moving the plot along when things slowed down and gave all of the characters - not just Nishat and Flavia - a clear motivation for their actions. That being said, not all of the characters felt fleshed out to me. Other than Nishat, Flavia, and Priti a lot of characters fell flat. I know Nishat wasn't close to many people for most of the book due to a combination of homophobia and racism, but even her "closest" friends felt like they barely had personalities. I'd have loved to explore her friendships more, or even her parents' relationship, which plays a big role in the story. At times we were so focused on Nishat, nothing else seemed to exist.
The exploration of culture, cultural appropriation, and microaggressions was beautifully done for an audience as young as Henna Wars seems to be targetted toward. The idea of appropriating Henna in order to earn money and win a competition was thoroughly explained, as well as the pain it caused. I really appreciated the multiple ways appropriation was explained, I think Jaigirdar did a wonderful job of exploring the arguments often made in defense of cultural appropriation without ever sympathising with them.
Finally, I want to touch on the wonderful relationship between the sisters. This was an area I felt received the time and attention is deserved. Priti and Nishat's relationship was so real, even the moments where they were both too caught up in their own lives to pay attention to each other. It felt realistic. Priti, in fact, may have been my favourite character and definitely deserved to have more of her own story told.
Overall, it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm picky over love stories at the best of times and this one just didn't have enough oomph for me. Maybe because it isn't really a love story, but a journey of self-acceptance and family love. Looked at from that perspective, Nishat's journey is certainly an admirable one and I'm glad she managed to stand up for herself and stay true to her culture at the same time. As an introduction to queer fiction, especially for teenagers, I think it would really work, but for me...I guess it didn't really resonate.
Let me know your thoughts on The Henna Wars if you've read it, or if you have any recommendations for love stories that changed your mind on what really makes a romance!