Author: Fatima Farheen Mirza
Published: 2018
Language: English
Pages: 400
Rating: 5/5
Summary:
This is the story of an Indian Muslim family living in America and we meet them first at the eldest daughters wedding, before going back in time to discover who they are, what has happened to them and why they act the way they do.
Review:
I am blown away by this novel. What an incredible piece of fiction!
The writing in this book is truly amazing. The way we move back and forward through time felt so easy, which is actually a very hard thing to do. The way the author conjures up these characters and breathes life into them is fantastic and she's one of those authors that manages to, seemingly effortlessly, make them real. They're so well rounded, complex and interesting. It reminds me a bit of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and the way she writes her characters, which coming from me, is incredibly high praise.
I love how this book digs deep. It dives right into issues of religion, family, home, love, loss and regret. I loved reading about the culture of these people and how they tried in their different ways to merge two cultures. The story also brings up some interesting thoughts on gender equality as well that I really liked reading about.
What is most fascinating about this book though, and what brought tears to my eyes more than once, was the family and all the relationships within that family. Getting to come on this journey with them was emotional, heartbreaking and wonderful. I'd highly, highly recommend this book to just about anyone; I can't imagine a reader not feeling something for this book.
You can read more about it on Goodreads
