The Loophole

Plot Summary
Sayyed cannot get any lower. His boyfriend left him, his best friend will not talk to him, and his father kicked him out of the house for being gay. Fortunately, his kindness to a stranger earns him three wishes to turn around his life. The mysterious girl, Reggie, has granted many wishes in her lifetime, but usually the wisher asks for common desires such as money, fame, and love.  On his second wish, Sayyed wishes to reunite with his ex-boyfriend Farouk, and Reggie is intrigued enough to join him on the journey.  The wish carries Reggie and Sy to multiple countries and international conflicts as they chase down the location of Farouk. Where Farouk is and where Reggie comes from are two mysteries larger than life and death.

Critical Evaluation

    I appreciate the complicated relationship Sayyed has with his family and the world around him. Despite the escalation in danger, as he eventually ends up in a war zone, he is noticing how relaxing it is not to face discrimination like he does in majority white countries. However, I am not sure that robbing a bookstore and knocking a police officer unconscious were beneficial to his character arc. It showed he was becoming less scared, but he was also committing crimes that hurt people and businesses and had the potential to alter his life permanently. I preferred the same bravery being shown by throwing a tomato in a protest and entering unsafe places for answers. Overall, this book is an intriguing read, but the multiple plotlines of Sayyed's past, Sayyed's future, and Reggie's past were less than a smooth read. 

Creative Use for a Library Program

  Creative Writing Exercise - 3 Wishes: In The Loophole, Sayyed is faced with the fairy tale dilemma of asking a magical creature for three wishes. In a teen creative writing group, ask participants to write their three wishes and explore all of the good and bad consequences of their wishes. After they finish writing their tale, teens are encouraged to read aloud to the group. Sayyed recognized that he did not need to chase Farouk for support when he had his mother, sister, and friend all along. End the session by asking the teens to list three supportive people in their lives; it can be a friend, family member, or mentor.

Book Talk

  Sayyed is stuck in life after his imagined future disappeared when the love of his life broke up with him and went overseas. Now, a mysterious stranger is offering to change his world with three wishes. If Sayyed can find his ex-boyfriend and apologize, maybe things can go back to normal. To find Farouk, Sayyed will leave the only home he's ever known and find out who he is and what he needs. 
 

Reason for Inclusion

Sayyed is a character that represents several marginalized identities that combine to tell a unique perspective. As a second-generation immigrant, he is living a bicultural life. And it is as a person of color and Muslim American that he is facing discrimination in his home country despite never traveling to his parents' country of origin or having a strong religious conviction. As a gay young man, he is defying what his parents consider normal and faces rejection and abuse. These identities provide the lens through which he experiences life fearfully. The author, Naz Kutub, is writing with the closeted reader in mind. In his note before the story begins he is encouraging his young queer readership and letting them know it's OK to stay in the closest if they are still forced to live in an unsafe situation, one day they will have the freedom to be who they are. 

Potential Challenges and  Defense Preparation

 The Loophole does not have a history of censorship. However, LGBTQ+ content is one of the most challenged topics, and libraries should be prepared to defend this content. The best defense is a strong reconsideration policy.