”How Lucky You Are”
Love is a beautiful thing. But forbidden love is one of the most horrible things that you can imagine. “How Lucky You Are”, written by Debi Alper, is about two young adults, Max and Ishraqi, have only known each other for a short amount of time, but that is time enough for the two to fall in love. They want to be together, but Ishraqi is an illegal immigrant and is forced to go back to Iran, which leaves Max heartbroken.
The story begins in Corydon, London in the UK. At first, the reader has no idea what or who the story is about, because it begins with in media res. You could say that the story is divided in four parts. The first is a very short introduction about what situation Max is in. After that, follows a short flashback, which has taken place a year ago. It describes how Max’s father walked out on him and his mother. Next comes an insight in how Max is as a person and how he behaves around his friends and mother. The last part is where he meets Ishraqi and her support teacher, Alexsa, at the Borders Agency, because Ishraqi is there to apply for asylum. Max wants to show Ishraqi around. They quickly bond and built up a strong relation to each other. They even get to share two kisses. But that is taken away from them when Ishraqi gets back to the Borders Agency and send back to Iran, because she is in the UK illegally.
The UK Borders Agency lies in the near of Croydon Town Center, not far away from where Max lives. There is not much happening in Croydon and the reader gets a feeling that it is a typical town in the UK, as we see on p. 5. ll. 117-118: “It’s so… grey,” she murmured peering out the window. “No trees and not even much sky with all these buildings.” It is Ishraqi who describes the surroundings. It seems like she is surprised by the many buildings, but at the same time, she is thinks it is boring, because there are not many colors around Croydon.
Max is the main-character. He is 16 years old and the stereotypical boy, who lives in your neighborhood and is a bit rebellious. Max attends the Brit School, a school for performing arts and technology. The reader realizes, in the first part, that his father had walked out on him, at p. 2. ll. 10-12: “This time last year, he’d been full of enthusiasm for his new school. Until the day he came home to find a bulging rucksack sitting in the hallway. His dad had sat him down, and explained how he felt stifled and needed to get away.” It could be the reason why he lost his motivation towards school. He bunks from classes, often Maths, as it seems like he does not like that subject. Max has a shifting personality. Max can be an annoying boy but also a kind and smart one. In the first part of the story, Max’s mother describes him as a creative boy with a “twisted imagination”, but it is a good thing according to the teachers. The reader can also tell that Max barely talks with his mother. But when he finally does, they argue about something.
Max does not seem to be doing anything in his life that has a meaning. He walks around in his own little world. The only thing Max does is to observe and not really care about what people do, unless they make a very good first impression.
When Max meets Ishraqi it seems like he tries to change, especially when Ishraqi is send back to Iran. Max tries to become a better son and learn how to appreciate the small things in life. It is important to appreciate what you have. Max does not know how much he has. He does not appreciate his family. That is the main theme of this short story: Appreciate what you have. For example Max had argued with his mother, earlier, about homework and taking responsibility. The meeting with Ishraqi gave him something to think about when she told him that she did not know if her parents were still alive or dead. It makes Max realize that he would not know what to do if his mother was not there for him, as we see on p. 5. ll. 130-131: “But what if she disappeared and he didn’t know if he would ever see her again? The thought was too awful to contemplate. Time for another change of subject.”
Forbidden love is one of the worst things that you can ever experience. Most people are lucky that they live in a free country where such thing is nonexistent. They have the right to be with whoever they want. But sadly, not everyone has that opportunity. The writer is trying to set focus on the problem, which is forbidden love. Another theme could be the system, when it comes to illegal immigration. Ishraqi is an illegal immigrant. She has lived in London for a year and a half alone, and she is applying for asylum, but gets send back to Iran, instead of getting the permission to stay. “How Lucky You Are” is therefore about appreciating what you have and to know, as the title says, how lucky you are.