Raidah Shah Idil, How to Free a Jinn, Allen & Unwin, September 2024, 288 pp., RRP $17.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761181092
Twelve-year-old Insyirah has grown up in Sydney but now she and her mother are moving back to Malaysia to live with her maternal grandmother. What she discovers about herself and her family when she gets there comes as a complete surprise. She can see jinn – spirits which may wish her good or evil – and the women in her family have a special link to this supernatural world.
Complicating this discovery even more is the fact that her new school is haunted because it was built over a Second World War mass grave. Syirah can see the friendly spirit in the school music room whereas her new friends can’t. But one evil spirit wants her out of Malaysia and is prepared to hurt her friends to get his message across. Insyirah is taken on as an apprentice by her aikido teacher, who is part jinn, to learn the skills she will need to destroy the evil jinn and free her family from jinn possession.
This fascinating middle-grade fantasy is set in an interesting location. The Muslim faith and Malaysian culture are integral to the plot. Insyirah is a brave, strong character who embraces the newly discovered aspects of her family and herself with determination and courage. This intriguing novel is well-written, engaging, fast-paced and different and an amazing debut by the author
Reviewed by Lynne Babbage