My Name Is Samim
In Fidan Meikle’s empathetic novel My Name Is Samim, a young Afghani refugee faces numerous dangers in his search for safety and belonging.
Sensitive thirteen-year-old Samim narrates in dual timelines. In the present, he is a foster child in England, living with Miss Brown and several other refugee children from various countries. His parents were killed for helping Americans, and the ghost of his humorous best friend Zayn keeps him company.
A math prodigy, Samim self-soothes by reciting pi, which he memorized up to 230 digits. When his teacher recognizes his chess skills, he invites Samim to join the school’s club. However, there, he finds himself at odds with Max, the reigning chess champion and feared school bully. When they get into a fight, only Samim faces consequences.
In the second timeline, Samim makes the arduous move from his “snake-shaped village” in Afghanistan, with “mountains in snowy hats,” to the United Kingdom with a case worker. He travels across Iran, Turkey, and Greece, on foot, by boat, and rolled up in a carpet in the back of a truck. This story unfolds as a high-stakes adventure, with engaging action sequences and heart-pounding close calls. Along the way, Samim encounters enough kindness to keep his hope alive, even as some of his choices end in tragedy.
My Name Is Samim is an affecting novel. Its everyday school scenes are well juxtaposed with the horror and hardships Samim encounters as he is “forced on a journey no one goes on by choice,” inducing empathy. While the denial of Samim’s bid for asylum comes as a gut-punch, his classmates band together and find a way to help him. Even Max turns out to have redeeming qualities.
Reviewed by
Suzanne Kamata
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