The Lines We Cross

Published in 2017, Randa Abdel-Fattah’s The Lines We Cross is a young adult realistic fiction novel that explores issues of immigration, identity, and racism through the eyes of two Australian teenagers. The story follows Mina, an Afghan refugee, and Michael, whose parents are founding members of an anti-immigrant group called Aussie Values. As their paths cross, Michael and Mina are forced to confront their own beliefs and biases, as well as those of their families and communities. The novel was nominated for a Cybils Award and explores themes of racism, personal conviction, and love.

Citations in this study guide refer to the eBook edition released by Scholastic Press in 2017.

Content Warning: The source material contains depictions of racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, wartime violence, deaths of family members, and substance misuse.

Plot Summary

Michael Blainey’s parents are founding members of an anti-immigrant group called Aussie Values. He first sees Mina when they are on opposite sides of a protest, and he is struck by her beauty. Mina and her mother fled Afghanistan 10 years ago and settled in Auburn. After Mina earns a scholarship to the prestigious Victoria College, her family relocates to Sydney’s affluent North Shore area. Mina’s stepfather, a chef, opens a restaurant called Kabul Kitchen in a location that used to be a fish and chips shop. Mina learns that her mother is pregnant, which is especially meaningful to her because she lost an infant while in a refugee camp years ago. During Mina’s first day at her new school, she and Michael argue about immigration during a class discussion. After class, Michael tries to apologize to her but only makes matters worse by spouting misinformation about refugees. Mina tells him that he needs to educate himself.

Mina befriends a bright girl named Paula who is bullied by their classmates. On a Saturday night, Michael goes drinking with his friend Terrence and Terrence’s brother, Mason. They get into a fight with an Aboriginal man who accuses Mason of looking at his girlfriend. A video of the fight gains the attention of racist and xenophobic groups. Mina learns of the fight and busts one of the myths that Michael believes about Indigenous Australians. During this conversation, Mina’s surprised to find herself admiring Michael’s appearance.

Michael’s father, Alan, agrees to participate in a TV program about immigration called Don’t Jump the Queue, and the whole family is interviewed for the show. During the interview, Michael simply repeats what his parents have told him about the threat that immigrants pose to Australia. Later, when Mina and Michael are grouped together on a school project, they bond over the pressure they feel from their parents’ high expectations. As days pass, the teenagers discover that they have other things in common, such as similar tastes in music.

One night, Andrew, a member of Aussie Values, barges into Kabul Kitchen and demands to speak to a manager about the sale of halal meat. The next week, he returns with a reporter and accuses the restaurant of funding terrorists. The story airs on the news, edited to make it look as though Mina’s family is hiding something. Michael’s mother is thrilled by the attention that the news story brings to Aussie Values, but Michael feels unsettled that Mina’s family is being targeted. The next day at school, Mina learns that Michael’s parents founded Aussie Values and calls him a hypocrite. Michael’s father returns home from filming the TV program abroad even more convinced that immigrants should be assimilated into Australian culture. On the other hand, Michael begins to educate himself about the refugee crisis and its root causes, which leads him to question what his parents have taught him. Michael tries to apologize to Mina, but she rejects his excuse that his family situation is complicated.

Michael grows increasingly dubious of his parents’ beliefs, and he visits Mina’s old neighborhood in Auburn in the hope of understanding her better. During the visit, Michael realizes he has a crush on her. The members of Aussie Values spend more and more time in Michael’s home, and they have ambitions of becoming a political party. Michael tries to get close to Mina, but she reiterates that a relationship between them is not possible as long as he insists on defending his parents’ racist views. After Don’t Jump the Queue airs, Michael and Mina avoid each other for much of the remainder of the school term. He continues to educate himself about immigration during their time apart.

Mina starts talking to Michael again after she sees a series of sketches he drew depicting a refugee’s struggle for freedom. Michael asks Mina out on a date, and she accepts. They meet for coffee at the mall and talk about everything from their mutual favorite band to the afterlife. During a trip to the beach, Mina and Michael share their first kiss. The teenagers grow closer and spend more time together, but they keep their relationship a secret from their families and most of their friends.

Two members of Aussie Values discover that three of Kabul Kitchen’s employees are on bridging visas, and Mina asks Michael to intervene. Michael asks his parents to tell Aussie Values to leave the restaurant alone. Although confused by his son’s concern for the establishment, his father agrees to talk to his members. The couple from Aussie Values contacts the immigration office anyway, and the three employees on bridging visas are taken to Villawood Immigration Detention Center. The couple also bring a reporter to Kabul Kitchen, and Alan and Michael hurry to the scene. When the reporter points the camera at Michael, he denounces his father’s racist organization and calls on Australians to defend refugees in accordance with international law. Overnight, vandals leave Islamophobic and xenophobic graffiti on the restaurant. Michael’s parents accuse him of publicly betraying them, and he explains that he cannot remain silent while the organization they founded harms people. Although Michael’s parents struggle with his convictions, they are determined not to let political differences tear their family apart.

Mina’s mother gives birth to a baby boy named Nabil, and Mina is ecstatic to be a big sister again. The school hosts a poetry slam, and Mina performs a piece about xenophobia and the power of resistance. As Michael and the rest of the audience applaud her, she feels grateful to him for teaching her never to give up on anyone.