Review: Randa Abdel-Fattah – When Michael met Mina

When Michael met Mina
Randa Abdel-Fattah

The first time Michael sees Mina, they’re on opposing sides of a march against refugees coming into Australia. The second time, they’re in class together, and Mina is using her strong wit in defence of herself and her people.

Considering that there are some situations that could potentially be huge, the writing is sensitive, nuanced, and realistic. It’s just as good as, and perhaps better than, this author’s other novels (I have reviewed 10 Things I Hate About Me).

I love the depiction of Michael and his parents. Things that would have blown up out of proportion in some other fictional families were simply dealt with here. It’s a novel of middle-ground, and realising what it is you stand for.

This is where what people look like doesn’t even enter into the readers head. I couldn’t have cared less what the two protagonists looked like, I wanted to know about everything that was going on inside their head.

Early into reading this novel, I took note of the cute little way that the headings within the book telling you which character was speaking matched the ones on the front cover. So cute! So teenage appropriate! Something to get those reluctant teenage readers in and caring about good things.

The more I think about this novel, the more convinced I am of its awesomeness. I’m not going to reread it, but I think it’s fantastic enough to deserve 5 stars anyway.