Asian American Literature Fans

A Review of Aisha Saeed’s Amal Unbound (Nancy Paulsen, 2018).
By Stephen Hong Sohn

So, this particular work has been getting quite a lot of glowing reviews; a student I’ve taught a couple of times also mentioned it to me, and I can see why it’s gotten the attention. Aisha Saeed’s Amal Unbound (Nancy Paulsen, 2018) has that kind of inspiring story that gives you a sense that those at the bottom might be able to rise up despite difficult, even menacing circumstances.

As a reminder, Saeed is also author of Written in the Stars, which we also earlier reviewed on AALF, but let’s let B&N do some contextual work for us: “The compelling story of a girl's fight to regain her life and dreams after being forced into indentured servitude. Life is quiet and ordinary in Amal's Pakistani village, but she had no complaints, and besides, she's busy pursuing her dream of becoming a teacher one day. Her dreams are temporarily dashed when--as the eldest daughter--she must stay home from school to take care of her siblings. Amal is upset, but she doesn't lose hope and finds ways to continue learning. Then the unimaginable happens--after an accidental run-in with the son of her village's corrupt landlord, Amal must work as his family's servant to pay off her own family's debt. Life at the opulent Khan estate is full of heartbreak and struggle for Amal--especially when she inadvertently makes an enemy of a girl named Nabila. Most troubling, though, is Amal's growing awareness of the Khans' nefarious dealings. When it becomes clear just how far they will go to protect their interests, Amal realizes she will have to find a way to work with others if they are ever to exact change in a cruel status quo, and if Amal is ever to achieve her dreams.”

So, the description does a fairly good job of getting us the set-up, but it completely leaves out the fact that Amal’s father is the one who is really the central player involved in terms of Amal’s servitude. Amal’s father was the one who originally incurred the family debt, which Amal is forced to pay off through her labor, but as readers come to understand, the contract never seems to expire. When Amal is fortuitously allowed to visit her family due to the fact that a relative is getting married, it becomes abundantly clear that Amal’s servitude may be indefinite. It is only when she and some other servants overhear about some shady dealings that there is enough information and motivation for Amal to consider a larger plan that will enable her to become “unbound,” as the novel’s title implies will eventually occur.

But, the darker impulse of the novel is one related to many I’ve read when it comes to these middle grade and young adult fictions. One character’s journey may not be shared by others in a similar position. Saeed is well aware of this fact and gestures to the problematic issue of indentured servitude at the conclusion in an author’s note, but this short contextualization seems to pale in comparison to the narrative set before the reader. In this sense, the denouement of this novel seems to ring hollow, gesturing us to a larger concern, an actual reality that fiction must transcend in order to achieve its most activist textures.

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Review Author: Stephen Hong Sohn
Review Editor: Gnei Soraya Zarook

If you have any questions or want us to consider your book for review, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email!
Prof. Stephen Hong Sohn at ssohnucr@gmail.com
Gnei Soraya Zarook, PhD Student in English, at gzaro001@ucr.edu