Nowhere Boy

In Brussels, Max Howard’s parents tell him that they are sending him to a French-speaking school for the year, even though he does not speak French. His older sister, Claire, tells him that he will be repeating sixth grade because of his difficulty with school. Max feels upset and homesick, wishing he could be back in Washington, DC, with his friends.

Ahmed has been staying in a tent in a Red Cross camp set up for refugees in Brussels’s Parc Maximilien with Ibrahim Malaki, who had promised Baba that he would take care of his son, and Ibrahim’s family. When the Belgian Office of Foreigners refuses to grant refugee status to Ibrahim and his family, Ibrahim tells Ahmed that they are going to stay in a neighborhood called Molenbeek while they appeal the office’s decision. Because Ahmed’s Syrian nationality makes him a more promising candidate for refugee status than the Malakis, who are from Iraq, Ibrahim and his wife tell Ahmed that he needs to go to a reception center for unaccompanied minors. Ibrahim promises to help Ahmed if he needs it, but Ahmed feels nervous because he only has a forged passport to prove that he is Syrian, and he worries that he will not be able to apply for asylum in England, which is where he and his father were planning to settle since they both learned English. He knows that if he can make it to Calais, he can find a smuggler to drive him through the tunnel to England. Ahmed stares at his father’s watch and wonders what to do.

On the first day of school, Max feels overwhelmed by the flood of parents and students speaking French. In class, Max has trouble keeping up with Madame Legrand’s French, so he follows whatever Farah, the girl in front of him, does. Max panics because he cannot get his fountain pen to work. He catches the eye of a boy behind him, who motions for Max to press down on the nib of the pen. Max feels relieved, but then the pen explodes all over his hands and desk. The boy laughs at him. At recess, Max tries to play soccer with the other boys but misses a pass, and the boy who laughed at him earlier, whose name is Oscar, hits Max in the face with the soccer ball.

Ahmed decides to pay a smuggler to take him to Calais, where he can cross to England. In the middle of the night, Ahmed leaves a note for Ibrahim and sneaks out of the tent to meet Ermir, the smuggler. Ermir takes Ahmed’s phone and asks for even more money. When Ahmed refuses, the smuggler attempts to take the Omega Seamaster watch and attacks the boy. Ahmed jumps out of the van and runs away. Finding himself alone in a residential area, he makes his way into a house through the unlocked patio door and finds an abandoned wine cellar, where he decides to spend the night.

Max works on his homework with Madame Pauline, his tutor. A police officer comes to the door and introduces himself as Inspector Fontaine. He tells Max that he is there to “make sure there are no illegals” in the house (38). Inspector Fontaine and Madame Pauline complain about “those Muslims” who keep coming into the country, but Max does not understand why they are so upset. Fontaine tells Max that his grandfather used to own the house they are staying in and tells Max that his parents need to hire a gardener.

Ahmed stays in the cellar for a few days, suffering from a fever. During this time, he hears the Howards going about their business upstairs, and he finds a row of potted, dying orchids in one of the windowsills. When he has recovered enough to feel hungry, Ahmed goes upstairs while the family is asleep. Ahmed feels guilty about taking food, so he makes a list of everything he takes, hoping that someday he will be able to pay the family back. Ahmed goes back out to check on the orchids and thinks of his grandfather, who cared for sick plants in his nursery. Deciding that the orchids need help, he prunes and waters them before setting them back in the windowsill. The next morning, Ahmed waits for the family to leave. He takes more food and listens to the sounds of children playing in the street. Ahmed realizes that he does not want to leave yet.

Max’s parents fight over small issues, such as a toilet seat left up and the disappearance of the last banana. Claire tells Max that his parents are fighting because they are worried about him. At school, Max gets a low score on his spelling test. Madame Legrand asks Farah to go over the test with Max, which helps because Farah is kind and encouraging. After school, Madame Pauline tells him that she convinced his parents to sign him up for the Scouts. Max is dismayed to find out that Oscar is in his troop.

After staying in the cellar for several weeks, Ahmed develops a daily routine to pass the time. He talks to the orchids to keep himself company, telling them about his sisters, Nouri and Jasmine. Reflecting on the conditions in Calais, Ahmed wonders if he can stay in the cellar longer since he enjoys the feeling of safety.

At Scouts, Oscar mocks Max’s French, and the troop laughs at him. When his father picks him up, Max asks him why they cannot go home to America. Max’s father tells him that he needs to stay in Brussels for work. Later, Madame Pauline tells Max about the namesake of the street the Howards live on, Albert Jonnart. Jonnart, a member of the Belgian Resistance during World War II, aided his Jewish neighbors and even hid a Jewish boy, Ralph Mayer, in his house. The Gestapo discovered Jonnart’s actions and took him to a labor camp, where he died.

The next day, Ahmed finds a spare key to the house. He takes some coins from around the house and buys food and a soccer magazine for himself. Ahmed tears out pictures from the soccer magazine and tapes them to the cellar wall, along with images from discarded magazines in the Howards’ recycling bin. One of those images shows a painting of a man with a birdcage where his body should be. When the Howards take a longer trip in early November, Ahmed uses their kitchen to attempt to make his favorite dish, but it doesn’t turn out the way it did when his mother made it. Ahmed is relieved when the family comes back.

One night, Max hears his parents arguing quietly in their room. He realizes they are talking about his difficulty acclimating to the French school. Unable to fall asleep in his room, Max goes downstairs and sits on the couch in the dark. Just as he starts to drift off, he hears a slam from the basement. Max goes downstairs to investigate but sees only the cat. However, he notices that the boxes around the cellar seem to have been disturbed. Overcome by curiosity, Max opens the door.

Ahmed hears the cellar door opening and scrambles to pick up the blanket. He hides inside an alcove in the wall. He sees a flashlight moving over the room. Ahmed covers himself with the blanket and hopes the person will not find him.