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ereadertson's review against another edition
4.0
This book is waxes poetic so have patient with this style of prose. I love poetry, so i felt it was beautiful. I thought it ended magically, however the ending was abrupt. This abruptness makes sense, however, given the context. Each character was flawed, which made them relatable but I wish we knew more about Lee. The narrator using "could-be" and "would-be" was a bit clunky in comparison to the rest of the prose. It took me a moment to get into the headspace of the narrator but overall it was a different vantage point, unbias but loving, so I appreciated the new perspective.
ldyb's review against another edition
4.5
Solidly 4.5. I struggled with the length and labor of the middle section covering 8 years of political/personal-as-political climate that, I felt, didn't shape or direct the story as much as a condensed version could have; however, I enjoyed much of the rest enough to situate it well above 4.
jenlovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to Partners NetGalley and Counterpoint Press for the digital ARC of Nawaaz Ahmed’s Radiant Fugitives in exchange for an honest review. The book will be published on August 3, 2021.
Radiant Fugitives is an ambitious debut novel with an unusual premise: it’s a story told predominantly in utero by Ishraaq, a sort of omniscient first-person narrator, allowed entry into his relatives’ perspectives before he takes his first breath. We know from the beginning that his mother, Seema, has died during labor, a piece of knowledge that casts a shadow over the book. It’s then that Ishraaq takes us back, unveiling the pasts of Seema and of the rest of his family—his aunt Tahera, his grandmother Nafeesa, and his father Bill—to consider what has led them to this point.
What’s revealed is a complex story that made me ache: it’s full of misunderstandings and missed connections that show the way these characters love each other and yet hurt each other, over and over again. It’s set against the backdrop of the candidacy and election of Barack Obama as President, driven by hope and (all too often) disappointment from those who have dared to hope.
Seema and Tahera immigrated to the United States from India. Seema left home when, after coming out to her family, her father exiled her. Her sister Tahera, a doctor, moved to the U.S. because of her marriage to a man with whom she forges a family who adheres strictly to Islam. It has been many years since their mother Nafeesa saw Seema, but now they’re united because Nafeesa insists that she must help Seema through the end of her pregnancy . . . and also because Nafeesa is dying.
The narrative weaves together these characters’ lives, circling around and back through time, until we delve deeply into their thoughts and feelings, alternately empathizing with them and frustrated by them, by their stubbornness and their inability to reach outside of their own vulnerability to each other. There’s much to admire in the way that Ahmed explores identity, in the ways that Seema is embraced by some and exiled by others because of her sexuality and that Tahera faces the same treatment because of her faith. The fact that those inconsistent reactions occur both among strangers and within their family is painful.
While there’s much to love and admire about this book, I did find the pacing to be slow, and I took several breaks from it to read other books. I think part of my issue is because of the internal nature of the narrative, and part is because the book is, often, quite sad. Still, Ahmed is considering here questions that we are—and should be—asking, about who we choose to govern and why, about who and what we welcome and accept, and about how each of us shapes an identity because of and against our families.
Behind it all is Ishraaq, a character who loves his family with such compassion and empathy and understanding that he forgives all, sharing their stories as utterly beautiful and utterly alive, even in tragedy. The contradiction inherent in the title Radiant Fugitives is borne out beautifully through Nawaaz Ahmed’s novel.
Radiant Fugitives is an ambitious debut novel with an unusual premise: it’s a story told predominantly in utero by Ishraaq, a sort of omniscient first-person narrator, allowed entry into his relatives’ perspectives before he takes his first breath. We know from the beginning that his mother, Seema, has died during labor, a piece of knowledge that casts a shadow over the book. It’s then that Ishraaq takes us back, unveiling the pasts of Seema and of the rest of his family—his aunt Tahera, his grandmother Nafeesa, and his father Bill—to consider what has led them to this point.
What’s revealed is a complex story that made me ache: it’s full of misunderstandings and missed connections that show the way these characters love each other and yet hurt each other, over and over again. It’s set against the backdrop of the candidacy and election of Barack Obama as President, driven by hope and (all too often) disappointment from those who have dared to hope.
Seema and Tahera immigrated to the United States from India. Seema left home when, after coming out to her family, her father exiled her. Her sister Tahera, a doctor, moved to the U.S. because of her marriage to a man with whom she forges a family who adheres strictly to Islam. It has been many years since their mother Nafeesa saw Seema, but now they’re united because Nafeesa insists that she must help Seema through the end of her pregnancy . . . and also because Nafeesa is dying.
The narrative weaves together these characters’ lives, circling around and back through time, until we delve deeply into their thoughts and feelings, alternately empathizing with them and frustrated by them, by their stubbornness and their inability to reach outside of their own vulnerability to each other. There’s much to admire in the way that Ahmed explores identity, in the ways that Seema is embraced by some and exiled by others because of her sexuality and that Tahera faces the same treatment because of her faith. The fact that those inconsistent reactions occur both among strangers and within their family is painful.
While there’s much to love and admire about this book, I did find the pacing to be slow, and I took several breaks from it to read other books. I think part of my issue is because of the internal nature of the narrative, and part is because the book is, often, quite sad. Still, Ahmed is considering here questions that we are—and should be—asking, about who we choose to govern and why, about who and what we welcome and accept, and about how each of us shapes an identity because of and against our families.
Behind it all is Ishraaq, a character who loves his family with such compassion and empathy and understanding that he forgives all, sharing their stories as utterly beautiful and utterly alive, even in tragedy. The contradiction inherent in the title Radiant Fugitives is borne out beautifully through Nawaaz Ahmed’s novel.
joonswifey's review against another edition
3.0
this is more like a 3.5.
a lot of this was deeply triggering to me as someone who is culturally muslim but not really practicing. tahera is the worst kind of conservative south asian woman, and seema is the worst kind of liberal south asian woman. i hated reading about these characters and i really hated the plot line of this book (or lack thereof). it was battle and a fight to finish it.
i’m sad because the premise seemed really interesting and the prose/writing style was gorgeous, but at some points became far too flowery and made me start skimming. i was genuinely just bored through a lot of this. these characters are very very human, but they’re also all just the worst kind of humans to read about. i could not bring myself to care about any of them. i think this book could work for a lot of people, but it doesn’t really work for me.
this was a necessary book. i’m glad it exists somewhere and is a story that was written. the battle between faith and sexuality is a difficult one and the reader really really understands the motivations of almost every character. however, that doesn’t change the fact that i didn’t really like it.
thank god it is over because i would have been furious to start 2023 with the reading slump this book was about to send me into if i didn’t finish it asap.
a lot of this was deeply triggering to me as someone who is culturally muslim but not really practicing. tahera is the worst kind of conservative south asian woman, and seema is the worst kind of liberal south asian woman. i hated reading about these characters and i really hated the plot line of this book (or lack thereof). it was battle and a fight to finish it.
i’m sad because the premise seemed really interesting and the prose/writing style was gorgeous, but at some points became far too flowery and made me start skimming. i was genuinely just bored through a lot of this. these characters are very very human, but they’re also all just the worst kind of humans to read about. i could not bring myself to care about any of them. i think this book could work for a lot of people, but it doesn’t really work for me.
this was a necessary book. i’m glad it exists somewhere and is a story that was written. the battle between faith and sexuality is a difficult one and the reader really really understands the motivations of almost every character. however, that doesn’t change the fact that i didn’t really like it.
thank god it is over because i would have been furious to start 2023 with the reading slump this book was about to send me into if i didn’t finish it asap.
eliclarevt's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
lunabbly's review against another edition
2.0
The most beautiful parts of this novel were the exact, precise, and sensual words and scenes that Nawaaz Ahmed painted in explaining and exploring the characters' sensory perceptions. That was gorgeous and I have so many new words that I'll be using to describe what I'm feeling, experiencing, touching, smelling, etc...
In general, I felt a lot of unresolved conflict and also conflict for conflict's sake. Although I did feel that the sisters' resentment for one another was real and palpable and needed because we don't hear enough or read enough about that passive aggressiveness and anger towards siblings that is passing and might seem minute but are so significant and stem from trauma.
I also felt weird about the baby narrating while they were still a fetus in this day and age of abortion care and messaging. It didn't resonate / struck an odd tone that I'm probably unable to get rid of / shake off because it was just so strange.
In general, I felt a lot of unresolved conflict and also conflict for conflict's sake. Although I did feel that the sisters' resentment for one another was real and palpable and needed because we don't hear enough or read enough about that passive aggressiveness and anger towards siblings that is passing and might seem minute but are so significant and stem from trauma.
I also felt weird about the baby narrating while they were still a fetus in this day and age of abortion care and messaging. It didn't resonate / struck an odd tone that I'm probably unable to get rid of / shake off because it was just so strange.
nuhafariha's review against another edition
4.0
Thank you to Counterpoint Press for the Reader's Copy!
Now available.
Much like Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children," Nawaaz Ahmed's "Radiant Fugitive" starts on the night of a catastrophic birth. Narrated by the fetus of Seema, the story toggles between three distinct female narratives, exploring what it means to be South Asian American in the modern era. There's the mother, Seema, a 30 something year old bisexual political activist living in San Francisco who is struggling between her disillusionment with the political establishment and her ever growing list of lovers. Then there's her sister, Tahera, a stuanch Muslim woman who is trying to raise her kids in the "right" way. Finally, we have the grandmother, Nafeesa, who is struggling with a debilitating chronic illness and trying to hold onto what remains of her family.
Emotional, dramatic, with a strong flair for Keats and lengthy anatomic discussions, this book definitely kept me intrigued the entire time. While I didn't always love the second person, it did allow me to delve into the many POVs presented in the piece. In some ways, the ending did feel anticlimactic because we already knew it from the beginning and because it felt too neatly boxed in for such an otherwise messy piece. What struck me the most is the way Ahmed created unlikable traits in each character - Seema's fickle mods, Tahera's jealousy, Nafeesa's passivity - and still made them humane. Incredible character driven tale.
Now available.
Much like Salman Rushdie's "Midnight's Children," Nawaaz Ahmed's "Radiant Fugitive" starts on the night of a catastrophic birth. Narrated by the fetus of Seema, the story toggles between three distinct female narratives, exploring what it means to be South Asian American in the modern era. There's the mother, Seema, a 30 something year old bisexual political activist living in San Francisco who is struggling between her disillusionment with the political establishment and her ever growing list of lovers. Then there's her sister, Tahera, a stuanch Muslim woman who is trying to raise her kids in the "right" way. Finally, we have the grandmother, Nafeesa, who is struggling with a debilitating chronic illness and trying to hold onto what remains of her family.
Emotional, dramatic, with a strong flair for Keats and lengthy anatomic discussions, this book definitely kept me intrigued the entire time. While I didn't always love the second person, it did allow me to delve into the many POVs presented in the piece. In some ways, the ending did feel anticlimactic because we already knew it from the beginning and because it felt too neatly boxed in for such an otherwise messy piece. What struck me the most is the way Ahmed created unlikable traits in each character - Seema's fickle mods, Tahera's jealousy, Nafeesa's passivity - and still made them humane. Incredible character driven tale.
kombucha_coordinated's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
What was this ending?!?!? And why?!
viarwn's review against another edition
3.0
This novel had a lot of potential for me to completely love it: inter-generational story about complicated and broken familial relationships of Seema, a lesbian, Tahera, a devout Muslim, and their mother who failed to defend Seema when she got disowned by her father, and became emotionally absent to Tahera thereafter.
First thing I hated was the bury your gays trope here. I never want to read another story about a lesbian dying. And to make things worse but to describe Seema's life as so lonely and miserable because of her lesbianism and lack of family? It's not outright said in the story but essentially everything we learn about Seema, she pushed everyone in her life away and everything that she did build and value she pushed away as well because of self-sabotage and her attempts and filling the hole left in her after losing her family.
Secondly, there were a lot of points where I thought to myself, it's obvious this was written by a man. You don't need to be a lesbian to write lesbian stories, but I don't think the author has a lot of, if any, lesbians around him in his life because I didn't find Seema's reasons for wanting to be with Bill compelling.
1) She enjoyed having that masculine energy and the masculine traits that Bill represented such as protectiveness, etc. - Has Seema never met a butch in her life? All these supposedly 'manly' things that Bill was providing that she never experienced from any of her previous lesbian lovers, you can't convince me that Seema has never met a butch in her life that would've conveyed any and all of these things. Especially considering how active she was in queer spaces and being an integral part of the community.
2) It feels like we're reading about a completely different character when we read about their actual relationship. She just goes along with eveything that Bill wants
3) She never expressed any attraction to Bill. Even when they were together. Initially, she was way more interested in Bill's dead father because he was a Black Panther, than Bill himself. Even when she lost interest in the father, she only continued spending time with Bill because he was willing to always be there and around and be dependable.
There's more I could say but I don't want to be sitting here forever coming up with all the reasons.
It makes me angry the way that her story was written this way because it's so dismissive of her lesbianism. A man has to be inserted into her story in some way which is antithetical to lesbianism. How typical for a man to find it impossible to imagine a woman existing without a man ever having influenced her life. This feels reminiscint of the Hayes code era because Seema is being punished for being a lesbian. She gets disowned by her family, she spends her life searching to fill the void left by her family, sabotaging all her relationships by pushing everyone away, marrying a man and losing her queer community then divorcing him but not before getting pregnant, after him inserting so much pressure on her to have children when she didn't want any. She decides to not terminate the pregnancy, and have a baby, only to be killed at the end after pushing away every single person in her life who was willing to stick around her by that point. She was killed after an accident in her flat that left her unconscious and bleeding from labour complications. And she was experiencing labour complications which led to her ultimate death because of her getting pregnant at her 'advanced age.' And to top it all off, we don't even get the closure of reading about the queer people who stuck by her in her last year of her life, finding out the news. They're deemed as less than important because they don't deserve to be there at the hospital or to even receive the news about Seema and a chance to react to the loss of someone they love. I feel like this goes to show the importance placed on biological family because the only people included in this part before the story ends are Seema's mother, sister, and ex-husband, the father of her baby. Whereas her chosen family aren't included and don't matter in the same way.
I'm writing this after just finished reading the book and going on a rant with my feelings. I felt the need to share this because I didn't read anyone else sharing the same feelings and critiques so I thought it's important for someone to put these thoughts out there to give a different perspective. My thoughts and anger about the story heavily revolve around Seema and her story because it feels close and personal to me. I have thoughts on the other characters to but these are the ones I wanted to share.
First thing I hated was the bury your gays trope here. I never want to read another story about a lesbian dying. And to make things worse but to describe Seema's life as so lonely and miserable because of her lesbianism and lack of family? It's not outright said in the story but essentially everything we learn about Seema, she pushed everyone in her life away and everything that she did build and value she pushed away as well because of self-sabotage and her attempts and filling the hole left in her after losing her family.
Secondly, there were a lot of points where I thought to myself, it's obvious this was written by a man. You don't need to be a lesbian to write lesbian stories, but I don't think the author has a lot of, if any, lesbians around him in his life because I didn't find Seema's reasons for wanting to be with Bill compelling.
1) She enjoyed having that masculine energy and the masculine traits that Bill represented such as protectiveness, etc. - Has Seema never met a butch in her life? All these supposedly 'manly' things that Bill was providing that she never experienced from any of her previous lesbian lovers, you can't convince me that Seema has never met a butch in her life that would've conveyed any and all of these things. Especially considering how active she was in queer spaces and being an integral part of the community.
2) It feels like we're reading about a completely different character when we read about their actual relationship. She just goes along with eveything that Bill wants
3) She never expressed any attraction to Bill. Even when they were together. Initially, she was way more interested in Bill's dead father because he was a Black Panther, than Bill himself. Even when she lost interest in the father, she only continued spending time with Bill because he was willing to always be there and around and be dependable.
There's more I could say but I don't want to be sitting here forever coming up with all the reasons.
It makes me angry the way that her story was written this way because it's so dismissive of her lesbianism. A man has to be inserted into her story in some way which is antithetical to lesbianism. How typical for a man to find it impossible to imagine a woman existing without a man ever having influenced her life. This feels reminiscint of the Hayes code era because Seema is being punished for being a lesbian. She gets disowned by her family, she spends her life searching to fill the void left by her family, sabotaging all her relationships by pushing everyone away, marrying a man and losing her queer community then divorcing him but not before getting pregnant, after him inserting so much pressure on her to have children when she didn't want any. She decides to not terminate the pregnancy, and have a baby, only to be killed at the end after pushing away every single person in her life who was willing to stick around her by that point. She was killed after an accident in her flat that left her unconscious and bleeding from labour complications. And she was experiencing labour complications which led to her ultimate death because of her getting pregnant at her 'advanced age.' And to top it all off, we don't even get the closure of reading about the queer people who stuck by her in her last year of her life, finding out the news. They're deemed as less than important because they don't deserve to be there at the hospital or to even receive the news about Seema and a chance to react to the loss of someone they love. I feel like this goes to show the importance placed on biological family because the only people included in this part before the story ends are Seema's mother, sister, and ex-husband, the father of her baby. Whereas her chosen family aren't included and don't matter in the same way.
I'm writing this after just finished reading the book and going on a rant with my feelings. I felt the need to share this because I didn't read anyone else sharing the same feelings and critiques so I thought it's important for someone to put these thoughts out there to give a different perspective. My thoughts and anger about the story heavily revolve around Seema and her story because it feels close and personal to me. I have thoughts on the other characters to but these are the ones I wanted to share.
eganmorrisonrooney's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
so much potential meat on the table but i was just underwhelmed
grand societal panorama in some ways
grand societal panorama in some ways