America After 9/11

Although the novel does not contain a central location in which the majority of its events unfold, the social, political, and economic atmosphere of the United States pervades the narrative wherever it takes place. The narrator's experiences are formed in response to the prevailing anti-Muslim prejudices and discrimination that are unleashed in the wake of the attacks of 9/11. It is within this post-9/11 American milieu that the narrator first feels himself alienated from American society insofar as he is a Muslim. Personal experiences in which he is the target of Islamophobia shape the narrative, such as on the day of 9/11 itself when he is harassed in line for a blood drive and subsequently decides to wear a crucifix. Even as a late as 2017 the narrator faces discrimination, such as when he and his father are harassed by a man in a convenience store.

The economic realities of...