All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir

The Quick Cut: Two teens who find themselves outcasts struggle to get the future they want as their lives get complicated.

A Real Review: Everyone deals with loss in their own way, but sometimes loss can drive a person to do things they wouldn't typically do. In this book focused on three Muslim characters. Two teenagers Noor and Sal have known each other for years. They even were best friends for a long time. However, when a fight gets between them - life makes their individual lives complicated. Sal's mother dies and leaves his father a total mess, with Sal trying to keep the family hotel afloat (unsuccessfully). Noor is living with her uncle and trying to hide her intentions of going to college, something her uncle is against. Can these two rebuild their friendship and their lives? Or will they end up a bigger mess together? This story is so heartbreaking and complex that it's hard not to feel for the characters. Noor and Sal are teenagers dealing with such mature situations that I cannot imagine going through that at their age. Without parents to support them, they end up going to great lengths to try to work things out alone. While a majority of the focus is on the present with Sal and Noor, there is a third narrator in the past named Misbah. Seeing how she connects to what's going on in the present changes so much of how you perceive the story. It also adds another level of heartbreak to the whole scenario. This book deals with a lot of mature topics like alcohol and drug abuse. It definitely leans closer to an adult story than young adult. However, if the reader is mature enough for this type of story, it's well worth the adventure. A story with depth and complexity. My rating: 4 out of 5