Love, Hate and Other Filters

Maya Aziz is the only child in an Indian Muslim family in Batavia, Illinois. She is five feet and three inches tall. She has long dark hair and likes to dress in skinny jeans and fitted sweaters. She loves to shoot film and regularly carries a camcorder. She chafes at her parents’ expectations for her to study at the University of Chicago and marry an Indian man with high earning potential. She wants to choose her own life, which is to study at New York University and become a filmmaker.

Maya is motivated by being true to her dreams and goals. In order to do this, she avoids telling her parents about her acceptance to NYU and does not tell them who all of her friends are. She also tells outright lies, though this does not sit well with her. Maya does not want to live a lie. She breaks off a romantic relationship with Kareem because she does not want to lie to herself or him. She also chooses New York over her parents and their wishes. This makes family tensions even worse, but Maya would rather tell the truth and be authentic to herself than be miserable.

Asif and Sofia Aziz are Maya’s parents. They came to the United States from Hyderabad, India, as a young couple and settled in Illinois. Although fluent in English, they speak in Urdu if they are upset. Asif and Sofia are dentists and have built a successful business. They hold traditional Indian values that guide their expectations for their lives and for Maya, and they are suspicious of American cultural values and customs. Asif and Sofia love Maya and want what is best for her, but for them, what is best means adhering to tradition.

Hina is Sofia’s sister and Maya’s aunt. She has short hair and lives alone in Chicago as a graphic designer. Sofia defended Hina’s choices to their mother, but Sofia does not agree with Hina’s lifestyle. Because Hina has fought against cultural and familial expectations, she has insight into how Maya feels. Hina supports Maya’s aspiration to study film and is interested to know about the young men Maya likes. She encourages Maya to make her own decisions.

Violet is Maya’s best friend. She has blond hair, enjoys flirting, and thrives on relationship drama. She is originally from New York City and lives with her father. She has her own car and fiercely supports Maya, despite their different cultural expectations and backgrounds.

Phil is the captain of the Batavia High School football team. He has green eyes and chestnut hair. He dreams of becoming an EMT and studying adventure recreation in Vermont. He is too embarrassed to tell his friends what he really wants to do in life. He and Maya form a special friendship because they both feel pressure to meet the expectations of others.

Ethan Branson is a suicide bomber who blows up a federal building in Springfield, Illinois. He had dark hair but shaves his head early in the story. He grew up in a troubled home in Indiana. His father was drunk and abusive, and his mother could not defend him. His father thinks Ethan is worthless, and feelings of worthlessness play an important role in Ethan’s decision to commit terrorism. Terrorism makes him feel as though he is doing something worthwhile because he will be remembered.