From bestselling and National Book Award–nominated author

Tahereh Mafi comes a stunning novel about love and loneliness, navigating the

hyphen of dual identity, and reclaiming your right to joy—even when you’re

trapped in the amber of sorrow.

It’s 2003, several months since the US officially declared

war on Iraq, and the American political world has evolved. Tensions are

high, hate crimes are on the rise, FBI agents are infiltrating local

mosques, and the Muslim community is harassed and targeted more than

ever. Shadi, who wears hijab, keeps her head down.

She’s too busy drowning in her own troubles to find the time

to deal with bigots.

Shadi is named for joy, but she’s haunted by sorrow. Her

brother is dead, her father is dying, her mother is falling apart, and her best

friend has mysteriously dropped out of her life. And then, of course, there’s

the small matter of her heart—

It’s broken.

Shadi tries to navigate her crumbling world by soldiering

through, saying nothing. She devours her own pain, each day retreating

farther and farther inside herself until finally, one day, everything

changes.

She explodes.

An Emotion of Great Delight is a searing look

into the world of a single Muslim family in the wake of 9/11. It’s

about a child of immigrants forging a blurry identity, falling in love,

and finding hope—in the midst of a modern war.