A Very Large Expanse of Sea
by Tahereh Mafi
Set in 2002, a year after the tragedy of 9/11, A Very Large Expanse of Sea is a novel with willful political significance. Author Tahereh Mafi tries very hard to bridge a gap between two people who theoretically come from different worlds. She does this through the eyes of Shirin, a Persian girl who hates the world for the discrimination and racism she is forced to live through. Shirin’s life changes as she comes across Ocean, a mysterious boy who gravitates towards her. A Very Large Expanse of Sea is at its best when it compares and contrasts two different cultures, but downright cringe-worthy as a love story.
Shirin, portrayed as a relatable teenage girl, is confused about the world’s unethical and racist qualities. She shows her emotion through hatred of the people around her. Shirin’s hatred feels more like a direct consequence of the environment she’s immersed in, and not a reflection of her actual personality. Through her journey, Shirin learns that not everyone is as despicable, racist, or unethical as she thinks: some people are just as lost as she. This story mainly takes place in high school, the perfect place to showcase discrimination against Muslims.
Now we enter the book’s biggest problem: Ocean. Shirin meets Ocean in one of her classes, and they become friends. Shirin is a complicated human being; Ocean, on the other hand, is inherently one dimensional. Mafi never describes Ocean more to us than, the boy who “smells nice.” Ocean does, however, carry a family burden that I won’t spoil for you, but even with it, I feel this story fails to capture his personal essence. Shirin and Ocean have little chemistry between them. Normal two-way conversations are awkward and repetitive, due to both of these characters’ “yes” and “no” conversational skills. This relationship is, however, intriguing when they communicate like people from vastly different places in the world. For example, Ocean thought he ate Persian food regularly, but Shirin told him otherwise. It’s conversations like these that make their romance something worth paying attention to.
A small but charming part of this novel is breakdancing. Shirin loves to breakdance with her brother, Navid, and his friends. Breakdancing is a small sport, and I’m happy it got the recognition it deserves. Shirin and Ocean are 15 and 16, which makes this book perfect for ages in the teen years. A Very Large Expanse of Sea is a short but charming novel that doesn’t deserve to sell you on its romance, but its unique main character, Shirin, and her growth as a person. How would you fair in Shirin’s position?
Reviewed by Liam Agnew, 10th grade,
NewGate School, Sarasota, FL
Tomorrow’s Child/ April 2019 / Pg 30
