Caren Rubin-Brown crafts Bulge into a passionate account of love, personal conflict and perseverance. The story follows Mattel and Salim who coexist in Harlem, NY. Their experiences unite them and, ultimately, transform their lives and connect their journeys.Mattel is a shy but serious girl who follows in her mother's footsteps. Mattel s mother, Ella, is the matriarch of the family and rules over all, including Mattel s dad. While her father wakes early to prepare the home and gather Mattel and her siblings for school, Ella walks to the main road to earn the bread for her family. Mattel looks up to her mother and believes that the methods her mother adopted in their home are conventional and that everyone lives as such. Upon entering college and moving to Harlem, NY, Mattel learns that life is not as simple as her mother makes it and throughout her discovery, she sees that love is a nebulous concept about which she has much to learn.Salim is a second generation Algerian immigrant. Abandoned by his Irish-Catholic mother while still an infant, Salim is subjected to harsh poverty in Harlem, NY. As a child, Salim is shuttled by his alcoholic father; staying with relatives and strangers alike. Soon, Salim will stand on his own but at the cost losing everything in which he found stability.