A review by emleemay
The Weight of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf

4.0

I know the signs; this is the Djinn, unfolding himself, stretching out, pricking me gently with his clawed fingers. See what I can do? he whispers, unfurling yet another death scene in all its technicolor glory.

4½ stars. This has to be one of the most original YA books I've read in a long time. It just checked all the boxes for me.

» It explores an area of history I've never seen in fiction.
[b:The Weight of Our Sky|35614314|The Weight of Our Sky|Hanna Alkaf|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531930744s/35614314.jpg|57055577] is set during the 1969 race riots in Kuala Lumpur. After a contentious election, Chinese and Malays took to the streets, rioting, burning down houses, and brutally murdering each other.

Alkaf does not sugarcoat it. This book is dark and gruesome, containing graphic violence, but it is never gratuitous. On the contrary, the author writes with such compassion for her characters, both Chinese and Malay, ultimately urging us to never forget; to never let this become a cold fact in a history book that we do not appreciate in all its horror and intensity.

» It uses a really unique style/approach.
While set during the riots, this is also a book about OCD and anxiety. Melati must constantly perform small rituals of tapping and counting to appease the djinn inside her. I found this so different and believable and sad. In 1969 there was even more stigma against mental illness than there is today, and it seemed natural that Melati would believe herself to be possessed by a djinn, given her family's religious beliefs and lack of alternative explanation.

I think the author does a great job of capturing Melati's obsessive circles of thought. In fact, I felt my own anxiety spiking alongside hers as she fears and doubts everything. It is, of course, all exacerbated by the terrifying circumstances Melati finds herself in-- separated from her mother in the middle of so much violence and destruction.

» Great mix of action and introspection.
Between the violence, chases and battles for survival, and Melati's chaotic mindset, the book rarely stands still. But in the few moments when it does, we are treated to Malaysian folktales and passionate discussions about music. This latter offers Melati a brief respite from the djinn, and us a brief respite from the dark and upsetting events of the novel.

Gorgeous and evocative descriptions of the setting also offer a balance to the horror:

The air is thick with a pungent mix of odors: the delectable aroma wafting from the famous shredded duck buns on the one side; the mysterious smells that emanate from the jars and boxes that line the shelves of the Chinese medicine hall; the heady, overwhelming cologne that trails behind the college boys swaggering down the sidewalk in their ill-fitting drainpipe trousers, combs stuck in their back pockets; and everywhere, a faint undercurrent of stale sweat and cigarette smoke.

I feel compelled to mention that this is in NO WAY a "romance cures mental illness" book, which was my biggest fear after reading the description and being introduced to Vince. This is not that kind of book at all.

There's so much good in [b:The Weight of Our Sky|35614314|The Weight of Our Sky|Hanna Alkaf|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1531930744s/35614314.jpg|57055577]. It's a fascinating character portrait of a girl with a mental illness in 1960s Malaysia; it's a reminder of a piece of the past we must not forget; and it's about the small acts of kindness that emerge out of the darkest of times.

CW: Graphic violence; death; OCD; anxiety; racism.

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