Internment by Samira Ahmed

Internment Book Review

Rating: 2.5/5 

2.5/5?! Yes, this is the lowest rating I've given a book so far, and I was quite disappointed that I didn't like this book. I think that Internment covers important subjects and the underlying message is very impactful and important. It's good to learn about the topic of internment, the people who were harmed, and the experiences of the victims. So, when I decided I to read this book, I felt like it had potential. However, the writing and characters of this book just fell short. 

Most of the time when I critique a book, I focus on the plot, but this time, it was the writing. I felt like this book only slightly skimmed the topic of internment, and I wish it would've taken a deeper dive. While I do like fast-paced books, the book moved too quickly, and barely gave any information or background on the characters and the setting. But my biggest problem was the characters. This book is narrated by the protagonist, Layla. She was rebellious and outspoken, and I liked that about her because she spoke out against her imprisonment. Besides that, I'm not sure if I have anything else to say that is good about her. She was obsessed with her boyfriend, even going as far as risking her family's life in exchange for short, and often frustrating, conversations with her boyfriend, David. 

She had a weird relationship with a guard named Corporal Reynolds, or Jake. To me, while I understand that some may start to question the morality of a situation they are in when they see others suffering, Jake suddenly has a bright revelation and is at his knees to help Layla. There were times when I was reading and I felt like Ahmed was trying to build some romantic chemistry between them, but I don't like the enemy-to-lovers trope, especially with such a power imbalance. What was ironic was Jake and Layla had more chemistry than Layla had with David, her actual boyfriend. The director, who I think was supposed to be the main antagonist of this book, felt outright cartoonish, and was rarely in the book, even if he was portrayed as the "main bad guy." The dialogue felt like descriptions rather than actual a conversation, and I couldn't get myself to like this book as much as I hoped. 

I still think the message and topic of this book are very important and should be talked about more, which is why I plan to find another book on the same topic to review. 

Internment is set in the United States where the government has been passing laws on the ban of all Muslim Americans. It follows a teen named Layla Amin who is ripped away from her home in the span of one night. Suddenly, her life is turned upside down and she is forced to be isolated from the rest of the country in an internment camp called Mobius. In the camp, Layla develops new friendships and with the help of her boyfriend outside the camp, she leads a revolution to freedom. 

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