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Alicia Erian's debut novel unfolds the story of an Arab-American girl navigating an unfamiliar suburban and cultural terrain with no emotional support or direction. TOWELHEAD, narrated by 13-year-old Jasira, is set in 1991 against the backdrop of the first Gulf War.
Where this book is headed is indicated from the start. Shortly after the story opens, when Jasira's mother finds out that her boyfriend has shaved her daughter's pubic hair --- an act most would find reprehensible --- what does she choose to do? She keeps the boyfriend and sends Jasira from their home in Syracuse to live with her father in Texas. In Houston, Jasira struggles to adjust to her new life. Classmates call her names like towelhead and camel jockey. Her Lebanese father's strictness spills over into verbal and physical abuse. Her emotionally absent mother (who's of Irish descent) washes her hands of the daughter she can't seem to love or even connect with.
Jasira's loneliness and curiosity about her awakening sexuality lead to a fixation with Mr. Vuoso, a married Army reservist who lives next door. His blatant bigotry doesn't stop him from developing a relationship with Jasira that leads to his manipulating and sexually assaulting her. Mr. Vuoso isn't the only one who wants something from Jasira --- her father wants an obedient daughter, her mother wants validation, and her friend, Thomas, wants to practice his sexual prowess with her.
The one shining light in Jasira's life is Melina, a neighbor expecting her first child, who takes the girl under her wing and asks for nothing in return. Melina wants only to protect Jasira from both Mr. Vuoso and her abusive father. What Jasira finds with Melina is the simple caring that her own family lacks. "She waited for me to get my seat belt on before she started driving, which I thought was nice," says Jasira. "Daddy always started driving as soon as he had his own seat belt on, even if mine wasn't on yet. It always made me feel like he hoped we would get in an accident before I could buckle up."
One of the challenges of writing in the voice of a 13-year-old girl is finding a balance between relaying information necessary to the story --- such as the political climate of the time --- and maintaining thoughts and actions consistent with someone this age. Erian does this admirably, and seeing the world from Jasira's perspective is what gives the story its texture.
The deftness of Erian's writing is particularly evident in subtle turns of phrase that relay observations Jasira makes but doesn't fully understand, such as when she remarks, "I noticed that Mrs. Vuoso didn't really have any breasts, and I wondered if that was why her husband wanted to touch mine." The first-person narrative heightens the tension in the story, and at times it's like watching a train barrel down the tracks --- you know it's headed for disaster but can't do anything to stop it.
TOWELHEAD is an affecting portrait of adolescence and the need for acceptance. It's a coming-of-age tale that's both shockingly honest and unexpectedly poignant --- not to mention compulsively readable.
--- Reviewed by Shannon McKenna
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