A hilarious and heartwarming memoir of growing up and becoming oneself in an Egyptian Muslim family

In the outer suburbs of Brisbane at the turn of the millennium, Soos is growing up in an eccentric family: her Baba, who thinks Islam forbids taking out life insurance; her Mama, who is plotting divorce; her Nana, who collects stray dogs and encourages small lies; her infuriating older brother, Mohamed, and his white girlfriend; and her can-do-no-wrong perfect sister, Aisha.

Soos’ family is muddy. Their skin is brown – kids say Soos is mud-coloured. Their culture and religion are puzzling to those around them. In their white-majority neighbourhood, Soos, Mohamed and Aisha are bullied by racists. Their parents are discriminated against at work.

Soos, the baby of the family – her name means ‘little tooth’ – is working out how to balance her parents’ strict rules with having friendships, crushes and a normal teenage life. As her dad is diagnosed with leukemia, the cancer cells clouding his blood, she comes to see her parents as fallible, with morals based on a muddy logic. But they are also her strongest defenders.

For readers of Maxine Beneba Clarke’s The Hate Race and Mishna Wolff ’s I’m Down, this quick, clever, warm-hearted book introduces a talented new voice.