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Raqia knows the sting of loneliness more than most. As a toddler, she and her grandmother immigrated to Texas to escape the wolf packs terrorizing their home in Lebanon. Growing up with no siblings and an estranged father, Raqia always relied on her neighborhood best friends, siblings Anabelle and Eddie, to keep from feeling like such a stray.
But now that Raqia is a teenager, the gnawing pain of isolation is back. Eddie emerged as a wolf in seventh grade, propelling him into the role of a football star in high school. Meanwhile, neither Raqia nor Anabelle shows any trace of an Animal Affinity, a vital rite of passage into adulthood. Despite everyone saying Affinities can emerge later in life, they can’t help but feel like they’ll never find themselves.
Around them, the world grows more dangerous. On the cusp of homecoming, the violent wolf packs Raqia thought she left in Beirut begin popping up in the local news. Even though Eddie swears he’s not part of these gangs, both he and Raqia face visceral anger and anxiety over them.
And when emotions run high and one weekend erupts in a life-altering event, Raqia, Eddie, and Anabelle’s tight-knit trio ends up in tatters. Is it possible for them to go back to the way things were, or will Raqia need to reinvent herself again?
Reviews
“With [the Animal Affinities series], Jamail has created a rich, nuanced world in which the line between human and animal is blurred. The lines demarcating which is which are often used by people to put others in their place. And with a sharp irony, the monstrosity of those with their Animal Affinities is most shown in how they choose to treat their Plain friends and family — that is, by the very human choices they make, not the animal instincts that infuse their characters. These are beautifully written, poignant, and often funny stories, which fans of both the speculative and the literary will enjoy immersing themselves in.”
“A fantastical looking glass on the modern world and the timeless hurdles of growing up.”
“5 stars! Homecoming captures the mixed emotions of eagerness for adulthood and the heartache of getting there that all teens go through! I love that the setting is both magical and familiar, a fantasy of the characters having ‘animal affinities’ in an otherwise modern-day high school urban experience. Prejudices that young adults struggle with, including gender, race, age and religion, are juxtaposed with the added cliques of those with animal affinities (and those without!). I’m reminded of my teen years as I read it, while being introduced to a new form of fantasy writing that breaks out of the mold of the traditional magic/magical creatures.”