Love From A to Z

Adam Chen converts to Islam when he is 11 years old. Explore the ways in which this choice changes Adam’s life and comes to define his sense of self. What inspires him to make the decision? How does his understanding of being Muslim impact the way he relates to others and understands his life in the present and for the future?

Compare and contrast Zayneb’s and Adam’s experiences of loneliness. What facets of the characters’ personal experiences feel isolating? How does their alienation complicate their relationships with others and their understanding of themselves? Do they find ways to relieve their loneliness, and if so, how?

Explore how racism and Islamophobia define Zayneb’s coming-of-age experience. How does she respond to the prejudices she faces? In what ways does she feel at odds with her peers, and why? What experiences and relationships help her to combat injustice in new ways, and how?

Auntie Nandy’s character acts as an archetypal guide in the context of Zayneb’s storyline. What facets of Auntie Nandy’s character satisfy this role? Particularly consider how she relates to Zayneb—the advice she gives, the questions she asks, and the support she offers. Also consider the ways in which Auntie Nandy might validate Zayneb’s experience more than the other individuals in Zayneb’s life.

Explore how Zayneb and Adam’s relationship teaches them about love, support, and communication. Focus on the evolution of the characters’ romance, and the conflicts they face individually and together as their connection develops. What does Zayneb teach Adam, and what does Adam teach Zayneb?

Explore how Adam’s chronic illness impacts his sense of self and his coming-of-age experience. What is Adam’s relationship to illness and death? Why does he hide his diagnosis from his loved ones? What experiences inspire him to seek help and support, and what does he discover as a result of his newfound vulnerability?

Analyze Zayneb’s and Adam’s relationships to their Marvels and Oddities journals. Consider the journals as a narrative device. What allowances and possibilities do the journals create for each of the protagonists? How do the journals connect the characters in spite of their differences? How do the journals inspire the narrative structure and form?

Analyze how the novel’s points of view create narrative tension and momentum while developing the narrative themes. Focus on the differences between and overlaps in Zayneb’s and Adam’s first-person point-of-view narratives. How do the protagonists’ alternating perspectives deepen the novel’s explorations and heighten the narrative stakes?