Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
A music loving teen with OCD does everything she can to find her way back to her mother during the historic race riots in 1969 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in this heart-pounding literary debut.
Melati Ahmad looks like your typical movie-going, Beatles-obsessed sixteen-year-old. Unlike most other sixteen-year-olds though, Mel also believes that she harbors a djinn inside her, one who threatens her with horrific images of her mother's death unless she adheres to an elaborate ritual of counting and tapping to keep him satisfied.
A trip to the movies after school turns into a nightmare when the city erupts into violent race riots between the Chinese and the Malay. When gangsters come into the theater and hold movie-goers hostage, Mel, a Malay, is saved by a Chinese woman, but has to leave her best friend behind to die.
On their journey through town, Mel sees for herself the devastation caused by the riots. In her village, a neighbor tells her that her mother, a nurse, was called in to help with the many bodies piling up at the hospital. Mel must survive on her own, with the help of a few kind strangers, until she finds her mother. But the djinn in her mind threatens her ability to cope.
"Amidst the Chinese-Malay conflict in Kuala Lumpur in 1969, sixteen-year-old Melati must overcome prejudice, violence, and her own OCD to find her way back to her mother"-- Provided by publisher.
830 Lexile.
Reviews provided by Syndetics
Publishers Weekly Review
In this intense historical drama set against the May 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, a 16-year-old Malay who suffers from severe OCD fights for survival while searching for her mother. Melati Ahmad sees her OCD as a tragedy-invoking djinn that can only be appeased through counting and tapping rituals; if she doesn't complete them, Melati fears, her mother will die a terrible death. The riots break out while she's at the movies one afternoon, and Melati is saved and sheltered by a compassionate Chinese family, but she constantly imagines the worst for her mother while waiting for the chance to return home. Melati experiences acts of brutal cruelty and everyday heroism-her best friend is taken away by an execution squad, new acquaintances risk their lives to offer her aid. While Melati's condition, exacerbated by the stress of her experiences, pushes her to her breaking point, her determination to reunite with her mother and help others in need gives her the inner strength to persist. This stunning debut from Malaysian author Alkaf filters Melati's sympathetic internal narrative through a mental illness barely understood and poorly treated for the era, and the setting and secondary characters convey a visceral, nerve-wracking moment in time. This isn't an easy story by far; an author's note warns of "graphic violence, death, racism, OCD, and anxiety triggers"-but their inclusion makes it no less essential, no less unforgettable. Ages 12-up. Agent: Victoria Marini, Irene Goodman Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Review
Gr 8 Up-In this novel set during the Malaysian race riots of 1969, 16-year-old Melati struggles with obsessive-compulsive disorder, believing that she is being tormented by a djinn whose threats against her mother can be appeased only with counting rituals. When violence breaks out among ethnic Malays, Chinese, and Indians in Kuala Lumpur, Melati worries that her fears will manifest. A powerful and raw exploration of mental illness, Malaysian history, and rising above prejudice and hate. © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Booklist Review
Melati Ahmad is watching a Paul Newman movie with her best friend when the world explodes. The historic 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, have begun. At first, Melati, a Malay, takes shelter with a Chinese family, but eventually she goes into the city to find her mother. Melati is strongly afflicted with OCD, and the detail with which debut author Alkaf describes living with this disorder is precise and intense, especially Melati's conviction that she must constantly tap ordered patterns to satisfy the djinn (demon) otherwise, anyone close to her will die. But it is Melati's fight with OCD that makes her such a strong character. Not only does she have to fight to stay alive and find her mother, she also has to wrestle her inner demon. Even so, she saves many people throughout the course of the novel, first with the help of others and eventually by herself. Melati's growing strength gives hope to readers: If she can fight her inner demon and save the day, then they can, too.--Florence Simmons Copyright 2018 Booklist
Kirkus Book Review
A girl battling mental illness searches for her mother during the historic race riots of 1969 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.Sixteen-year-old Melati Ahmad, a Malaysian of Malay descent, has obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mel believes a djinn has taken over her consciousness and if she doesn't placate it by counting in threesher compulsive behaviorall her loved ones will die, and it'll all be her fault. On May 13, the first day of the riots, Mel is saved by Auntie Bee, a Chinese-Malaysian stranger, and forced to leave her best friend, Saf, for dead. Wracked with guilt, Mel must battle her rising anxiety and the Djinn's accusatory voice to find her missing mother. While the war between the Chinese and Malays rages on, Mel finds an ally in Auntie Bee's son, Vince. Armed with a Red Cross curfew pass, Mel and Vince scour the city helping those in need. When faced with a life-or-death situation, Mel digs deep and finds the inner strength to confront the Djinn and stand up for what she believes in. This is a brutally honest, no-holds-barred reimagining of the time: The evocative voice transports readers to 1960s Malaysia, and the brisk pace is enthralling. Above all, the raw emotion splashed across the pages will resonate deeply, no matter one's race or religion.Unabashedly rooted in the author's homeland and confronting timely topics and challenging themes, this book has broad appeal for teen readers. (Historical fiction. 14-18) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.