Patron Saints of Nothing Wins At Harry Ainlay

Both of these novels inspired conversation over here at Harry Ainlay. Ultimately, we chose Patron Saints of Nothing to move forward as we found it more accessible to our readers. As we read these novels and discussed them, we also shared our unique perspectives and connections to characters, the plot, context, and our own experiences.

We appreciated the layers involved in Patron Saints of Nothing as Jay was not a static character and the change he experiences developed well. Jay, a Filipino-American, being torn between two places was believable and engaging. When so much of how we define ourselves is based on culture, what if we don't have only one definitive culture, or what if we want to change someday? Jay's choice is brave. Jay, at times, does come across as a bit shallow, a little obnoxious, and certainly naive is part of his journey to discover what happened to Jun and causes that coming of age, although, at times, a bit more sympathy and compassion would have developed his character more. It seems like his journey is mostly about him, even while he's trying to exonerate Jun and figure out why he died. The reality of the situation was powerful. Trafficking is something that is so rarely talked about so clearly, and I appreciated that part of the book. The fact that Jun was not perfect- that was a painful twist, but a harsh reality given the circumstances. Wanting Jun to somehow be found alive (like Saf in The Weight of Our Sky), but that is not always reality. The story developed clearly and didn't feel like any part was rushed. For myself, having cousins abroad, I was deeply connected to Jay and Jun's relationship - the letter writing; the respect; the gratitude; the closeness without really spending a quantity of time together. 

We found The Weight of Our Sky covered religion in an open way showing many sides of how a person can live out faith. The depiction of Melati's OCD was well developed as one never knew if she really had a djinn, or if it was PTSD after her father died, or if it was OCD causing it all (which in that case the personification of the mental illness was powerful). For teens, though, they might struggle with the complexity of her illness because there is so much going on in the novel at once. The length of the novel was almost too short to cover such complex topics; the fighting, the deaths, the illness, the budding romance. We think this novel will speak to many girls, but it has a strong potential to resonate a lot with Muslim girls in a positive way. Fiction about religion is constantly talking about oppression, which of course this novel has, but it also shows hope and strength along the way, in many ways. Both novels actually show hope and strength, so in that sense, they are both equally valuable.