Reviews

Super emotional multi-generational story about a Muslim family dealing with a daughter's non-arranged marriage, an overly angry father, and an estranged son. Loved it so much.

racheyohh's review against another edition

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emotional reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I wanted more closure to this and really wanted them to reunite in the end 😭

That said, I did enjoy this. The beginning was a bit slow, jumping all over time and perspectives without giving much warning, so it took me a second to get into it and figure out where it was going. Afterwards I was definitely more invested but it just kept breaking my heart! So much love between all of them and just such misunderstandings and communication issues 😢. You could really feel for the characters though and I could relate to a lot of aspects in it. I was glad we got the Dad’s perspective by the end but it definitely brought some tears.

lillycano's review against another edition

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4.0

This book was pretty heart breaking

chelseatm's review against another edition

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5.0

How I adored this book! It was moving and captivating in (for me) a surprising way. I felt so engaged with each character and was so caught up in the story. The only thing I wish was that Huda's perspective was included, although I'm not sure what value would have been added. I mostly wish that because I feel bad that she wasn't - but that's the power of this book! I genuinely care about these people.

Highly recommended!

melodys_library's review against another edition

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4.0

I’m so drawn to stories of first generation immigrant parents and their second generation immigrant children - The parents fulfilling the dream of giving their children better lives in the land of the free, yet reprimanding and forbidding them those freedoms and reinforcing the rules and expectations of the lifestyle, religion and culture of the country they left, leaving the children feeling at odds within themselves, eventually making conscious choices to preserve what is most important to them, shed what is not, and create lives and experiences that are uniquely theirs.

I felt a real emotional connection to each character in this novel. At first, I had to keep reading to find out what catastrophic event caused Amar to leave; but wound up getting so emotionally invested in the family that I too clung to the hope that Amar would return home.

The first-person perspective by Baba at the end got me. I could relate to the lengths that families go to in order to save face and protect their children - over protection is the only way they know. It is their act of love. That secret pride that parents conceal from their children when their children are only seeking praise and comfort. The author shows these emotions in little anecdotes, splicing the stories together with snapshots in time to tell the story of then and now, why and why not.

spaces_and_solaces's review against another edition

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5.0

LOVED THIS BOOK!

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