One daughter is introduced as a disease, the other a monster. I saw this as being a distinctly feminist book. But as a sexual assault on thirteen-year-old Beh unleashes the past and destroys the family the reader is left wondering who is the monster child? Is it Beh, who says she is called a disease? Is it Shabnam, who cries tears of blood? Is it Alif, who in the end declares 'We are a family of monsters'? Or are the monsters all around us? In a world swirling with secrets, racism and a touch of magic we watch through the eyes of these three children as Nayebzadah's family of Afghan immigrants try to find their way in an often uncaring society. In this powerful novel, author Rahela Nayebzadah introduces three unforgettable characters, Beh, Shabnam and Alif. It has since been shortlisted for two BC and Yukon Book Prizes (The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize and the Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize) and the 2022 ReLit Award in the novel category. However, the author brings the individual stories together as one in the end, as the three finally stand together as siblings.Rahela Nayebzadah’s second book, Monster Child, came out with Wolsak & Wynn’s Buckrider Books imprint in spring 2021.

Nayebzadah captures each one of the three teenagers’ feelings about life very well, but still the book was a bit confusing-like reading three separate stories in one book. No matter what your religion demands, family violence and sexual assault are wrong and should be reported. It would have made life more bearable for these children, particularly in a place filled with racism where they struggle to survive as colored immigrants. This book shows how important communication is, especially within a family. Will their muted cries for help be heard or are we all the monsters of the world? One sister bleeds at the hands of her family, another cries the red tears of pearl, and their brother is confused about his own blood. Lack of trust and the strict Muslim rule not to report family violence to authorities make it impossible for these siblings to communicate openly about bigger problems. At the same time, each character is hiding secrets from the others. The struggles for survival and acceptance of these teenagers in an unfamiliar environment where racism abounds are laid out through the novel in an expert way, letting us feel their suffering. Beh, the youngest of the three, sees herself as a disease and believes the world and its troubles come down only on her, not knowing that her brother Alif and sister Shabnam each feel the same. Rahela Nayebzadah captures the inner struggles of three teenagers growing up as Afghan Muslims in a foreign country.

Jeegareh Ma by Rahela Nayebzadah