An Emotion of Great Delight

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.

Her world is crumbling. He’s the one person she shouldn’t turn to.

• Forbidden Love: He’s her ex-best friend’s older brother, and their shared history makes their connection as dangerous as it is undeniable.
• Friendship Breakup: Shadi is left reeling when her best friend, Zahra, suddenly cuts her off without explanation, deepening her profound sense of isolation.
• Muslim Representation: An unflinching look at life for a Muslim-American teen navigating hate crimes, FBI surveillance, and her own identity in a post-9/11 world.
• Mental Health Representation: A raw and honest exploration of a family drowning in sorrow, tackling themes of depression, parental self-harm, and the fight to reclaim joy.