A young adult novel, Zara Hossain Is Here was written by Sabina Khan, and published in 2021.
Provides examples of:
- Bittersweet Ending: Zara is moving to Canada with her parents, in hopes of facing less bigotry there, while she and Chloe will try to attend the same university. At least she doesn't have to get back into the closet for living in Pakistan, and Chloe's parents have gotten better about her lesbianism, while they're also striving to keep their relationship going. However, immigrants still face many hurdles along with hatred in the US, and this is an ongoing struggle.
- But Not Too Bi: Zara is a bisexual girl who has a committed relationship with her girlfriend Chloe. She's never shown or even mentioned to find any boy attractive.
- Citizenship Marriage: Zara's friend Nick says he will marry her so she can stay in the US when it looks like her visa is going to be revoked.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Chloe, Zara's girlfriend, muses that her bully Travis might be a bigot as a result of his dad's influence. Zara will have none of it though, saying it's no excuse and only white people get such excuses. Chloe realizes she's right and apologizes later.
- Get Out!: Zara's dad orders Zareen out of his house when she denounces Zara's bisexuality.
- Good Parents: Zara's father and mother are both kind, very loving people who accept her fully.
- Heteronormative Crusader:
- Chloe's parents are conservative Catholics who completely oppose homosexuality, treating her like she's sick and needs to be cured once she came out. After all going to family therapy together, they unbend somewhat, though she says even so they'll never fully accept her.
- Zareen is shocked when she learns Zara is bisexual and her parents are accepting, because to her having a relationship with another girl is sinful. She's promptly ordered to Get Out! by Zara's dad.
- An Immigrant's Tale: Zara's family are Pakistani Muslim immigrants living in the US trying to secure permanent residence. She and they face a lot of Islamophobia/racism, especially as they're in Texas among conservative neighbors. This is a main theme of the book.
- Jerk Jock: Quarterback Travis Benson and his football buddies harass or insult Zara at every opportunity starting out due to her status as a Muslim girl of color.
- Lipstick Lesbian: Zara is bisexual, Chloe's a lesbian. They both have long hair, liking to wear jewelry, makeup and skirts like most of their fellow teenage girls.
- No Periods, Period: Averted; Zara eats chocolate when she's getting hers, and then her girlfriend Chloe does too as she thinks hers is happening.
- Open-Minded Parent: Zara's parents, though Muslims, accepted her being bisexual, although they were a bit surprised and worried after she'd told them.
- Queer Romance: Zara's relationship with her girlfriend Chloe is a main theme in the book along with its repercussions.
- Parental Marriage Veto: Zara's parents weren't allowed to marry by their families, but they did it anyway. She believes it's why they're so accepting of her being bisexual and dating a girl even when they come from the very conservative Pakistani Muslim culture, as they've known how terrible being denied who you love can be.
- Plea Bargain: Zara's dad pleads to trespassing so he won't face more charges over having gone to the Benson house. This endangers his status to have a green card (along with Zara and her mom's) however.
- Reality Has No Subtitles: Many phrases or single words of Urdu are used in the book and untranslated.
- Rejected Apology: Travis apologizes multiple times to Zara for his father having shot hers. She thinks it's just to assuage his guilt about it and not helping her though, so she rejects them.
- Therapy Is for the Weak: After her dad's shot, he won't go see a therapist, and Zara knows it's because he's convinced going is a sign he's weak.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: We never learn if Alan Benson was convicted or not for shooting Zara's father, though given it seems there was significant evidence that looks probable.
