In the Key of Nira Ghani

Nira Ghani is a high school student whose family immigrated to Canada from Guyana, and now she is faced with navigating a new culture, finding love, honouring her parents, and following her dream of being a professional trumpet player. Nothing is easy for Nira. Time and again, she hears her parents, in particular her father, lecture her that they gave up everything to allow her the opportunities that Canada has to offer. Specifically, Nira’s dad doesn’t want her to be like other kids who “end up in the gutter” because they do not maintain a straight A average and spend too much time socializing. Nira does have an A average, but she is always being compared to her cousin, Farah, and therein lies the ongoing competitive struggle between Nira’s father and Farah’s - two brothers who constantly use their daughters to compete against each other. The only saving grace for Nira is her grandmother whose wisdom is always accompanied by a cup of hot tea. With her grandmother’s help and advice, Nira works to become her own person.

When Nira and her family moved from Guyana to Canada, the immigration policies of the time prevented them from bringing any money with them. This fact makes Nira’s life a lot different from that of her cousin Farah since Farah’s family moved later when immigration laws changed to allow money to move out of Guyana. Nira’s family had to buy a house in a respectable, mostly white area and Nira has to attend a mostly white school. Farah, on the other hand, lives in an upscale community and attends a private school that has a high population of Indian students who share many social customs. Nira is jealous of her cousin, but, as they get to know each other over the course of the novel, Nira begins to realize that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.

As a high school student, Nira is drawn in many directions. She has always honoured her parents by maintaining high marks and following their instruction, but now, more than ever, Nira is wanting to become her own person. When Nira hears about auditions for a jazz band at school, she is very excited but doesn’t think that her old pocket trumpet, Georgia, is going to be good enough for the instrument inspection component of the tryout. Nira hatches a plan to get a job at the local music store and rent a proper trumpet so that her chances will be higher to get accepted for the band. The hardest part for Nira will be convincing her parents that she won’t “end up in the gutter” if she has a part-time job and auditions for the band. With a long conversation about Nira maturing and agreeing to quit her job if her marks fall at all, her parents allow Nira to work. With this, Nira does get a new trumpet and is looking forward to the jazz band auditions.

Nira learns that there are others trying out for the band, including Noah, a very cute and popular boy to whom Nira is immediately drawn. She hints about this interest to her best friend, Emily, but Emily is spending more and more time with Mackenzie, a popular girl outside of their group, something which makes Nira very jealous. To top it all off, Mackenzie and Noah are hanging out together as well! Just when it seems that things couldn’t get worse for Nira, Farah and her family invite Nira to go with them to Florida, but doing so would make Nira miss the audition. Nira’s father wants her to go because it’s an opportunity to visit Cape Canaveral, something that he cannot offer, and, as well, Farah really wants Nira to go. Nira doesn’t understand why Farah wants her to go so badly since they’re not close at all. Nira fights with her dad, trying to get him to understand how important the audition is, but he won’t listen. Just when Nira thinks she’s convinced her dad, she learns that the audition date has been changed, and now she has no excuse not to go on the trip.

Nira’s nervous about the trip, but she soon learns that she and Farah will be on their own to explore while Farah’s parents spend their time independent of the girls and each other. Nira thinks that she and Farah will be going on a tour of NASA, but Farah has other ideas. Because Nira doesn’t want to participate in Farah’s lie, she leaves Farah and looks to plan the NASA tour on her own. Nira wants to let her aunt and uncle know her plans, but, when she inquires about their room, Nira discovers that they each have their own room and they’re even on different floors! This arrangement seems strange to Nira, and she doesn’t know what to do, and so she decides to go for a walk. It’s on this walk that she sees her uncle, Raj, sitting on a patio with a woman and he kisses her! In total shock, Nira hears her name being called. It’s Farah. Nira tries to shield her, but Farah sees her father, turns, and runs.

Nira returns to the hotel, not knowing if she should text Farah or not. Nira decides to go to the hotel’s restaurant to get something to eat and sees her Aunt Gul. She approaches, and Aunt Gul tells her to sit down and eat with her. Eventually, Farah shows up at the restaurant, and Nira shares her food. When they’re finished, Nira goes to the room by herself because Farah needs to speak with her mother. Later, Farah climbs into bed with Nira and starts to cry which makes Nira feel awful for her.

In the morning, Farah announces that they are going to NASA. Half way through the tour, they decide to venture out on their own. They stop at a cafe, and it’s there that Farah tells Nira that she’s known about her father’s cheating since she was a kid. Farah begins to open up to Nira, telling her the whole story about her parents, how she hangs out with the friends she has because they’re daughters of her dad’s clients, and the fact that she was hoping the trip would bring she and Nira together. With the new connection, the group flies home. However, Nira can tell that her aunt and uncle know that she knows their secret.

In the midst of all of this turmoil, the day of the band audition arrives, and Nira is so preoccupied, she accidentally brings Georgia to the audition instead of her new rental trumpet. When she discovers this error just as her name is called, Nira freezes and misses her opportunity to try out. Here, Nira learns a life lesson about being prepared and present, especially when the stakes are so high. This missed opportunity doesn’t stop Nira from her musical dreams, however. She decides to play at an open mike night at a local coffee house and asks her grandmother to come and watch. It’s from here that her prospects being to change for the better. A hotel manager sees her perform at the coffee house and invites her to play for money at his upscale hotel. Nira knows that her parents won’t let her continue, but, with the support of her grandmother, Nira is able to show her parents that she is both talented and mature.

Nira wants to share what’s been going on with Emily, but Emily’s been evasive and spends more and more time with Mackenzie. When Nira learns that Emily will be at home, she goes to her apartment to speak with her. She knocks at the door, only to have Mackenzie open the door. After a short conversation, Nira learns that Emily and Mackenzie are dating. This helps Nira to understand that Emily wasn’t avoiding her or replacing her as a friend, but that Emily found a romantic relationship with Mackenzie and that Mackenzie’s not ready to tell her parents nor her friends that she’s gay. With this new understanding, Nira, Emily, and Mackenzie are able to start a new friendship.

Days later, Nira is taking the bus home when it’s stopped at an accident scene. It doesn’t take long for Nira to discover that the victim is her grandmother who was struck by a car while out on her daily walk. The family gathers around her grandmother’s bed at the hospital where everyone has time to say their last goodbyes prior to the elderly woman’s death. It is then that Nira is given a letter that her grandmother wrote to her telling Nira to be strong, be her own person, and follow her dream. The letter helps Nira to heal from the loss and convinces her that pursuing her dreams, including being a professional musician, is all within her grasp.

There are several storylines in Deen’s novel including the coming-of-age of a teenager from Guyana, how political changes affect immigrant families, accepting changes in relationships, dealing with family secrets, and death. Deen does a solid job of realistically and believably depicting the struggles that Nira faces. Written from Nira’s point of view, the novel moves through a teenager’s frustration, anxiety, hope, love, and maturation. The constant throughout the novel is Nira’s grandma who deftly uses doses of tea with increasing amounts of sugar and milk to meet the emotional needs of those around her. Though Nira is sometimes overwhelmed with her life, her grandma is always there was a hot cup of tea and sage advice. This offers the reader a look into the Guyanese culture and the possible benefits and challenges of multi-generational households.

With the many interesting aspects of this novel, Nira’s complaining and general angst are sometimes overwhelming. That being said, Nira is a teenager moving through many changes simultaneously, and so perhaps this is understandable. In the end, In the Key of Nira Ghani is an enjoyable novel that provides insight into the Canadian immigrant story and the struggle of a teenage girl working hard to become her own person.