All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir is a realistic fiction novel about Pakistani teenagers, Salahudin and Noor, and their families. Salahudin’s mother had been sick for a long time but she refused to get proper treatment for it. She thought it was too expensive and wouldn’t go to her appointments. Sadly she passed away, leaving Salahudin to deal with all their hefty debts and his alcoholic father. He used to be able to rely on his best friend Noor but after he cruelly rejected her moths ago, she no longer wants to speak to him. Noor lives with her uncle who saved her life when she was a child. Noor used to live in Pakistan but when she was sick, her home collapsed and she was the only one left. Her uncle pulled her from the rubble and she’s lived with him ever since. Noor’s uncle wants nothing to do with their Pakistani roots. He doesn’t even want Noor to go to leave their town and go to college, but that’s what she wants more than anything else. So she has to sneak around and apply without him finding anything.
Salahudin begins to struggle to make ends meet in order to keep their family motel. As he falls into even greater debt, he turns to something he swore he wouldn’t do. He finally takes his friend Art up on his offer and starts selling drugs. Soon enough, Salahudin pays off some of the family’s lesser debts. When Noor learns of what happened to Salahudin’s mother, she slowly starts to integrate her self back into his life. As Noor and Salahudin get closer, it gets harder for Salahudin to hide the drug dealing. It also becomes more and more apparent that Noor is hiding something. Can Salahudin escape the life he’s chosen and can Noor make it out of this rundown town?
I loved this story. I think that Sabaa Tahir did an amazing job capturing all of the characters’ emotions and created a heart wrenching story. Each of the characters’ had their own unique story that really felt like it added a lot to the main plot line. The pacing of the story was really smooth and it was partly what hooked me. If a story moves too fast or too slow, I will usually end up hating the book or not even finishing it. But with All My Rage, nothing felt rushed or dragging. While I may not have experienced most of what Salahudin or Noor did, I still felt like they were very relatable characters. They each had their flaws, as teenagers usually do, and it made for a story that I felt like I could understand really well.
I would recommend this for anyone who is looking for a meaningful, well written, and diverse story. All My Rage is an incredible realistic fiction that could be enjoyed by all. There are quite a few heavy topics in this story so I would advise readers to be careful. These range from drug use and over dose to death and child abuse. Because of this, I would recommend this book to a more mature audience. This book is also a good example of multiple points of view done well. It switches between Salahudin and Noor and occasionally Salahudin’s mother. The switches were not jarring at all and added hidden details to the story. Overall I thought this was an amazing book and it’s one that I recommend to all who can stomach its contents.
Realistic Fiction lovers will adore what All My Rage has to offer. For those looking for an impactful, deep story, this is the perfect book. This is such an important book for everyone to read. There’s representation for so many different kinds of people and Sabaa Tahir has managed to capture them all quite well.