Reviews

American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar

gmp's review

emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

lizaroo71's review against another edition

4.0

This is told from eleven year old Hayet's perspective. The family are Pakistani and Muslim, but do not really practice their faith. Hayat's father has a disdain for the Pakistani community and so the family are rather insular. That changes when a family friend, Mina, escapes a bitter divorce and comes to live with the family.

Mina becomes a mentor to Hayat in his study of the Quran. What develops is a tight bond that causes Hayat to become jealous of any other person that takes Mina's attention from him.

This is a study in faith and how that carries you in life. I found the ending particularly moving as we get to see Hayat make amends with those he has hurt.

wsk56's review against another edition

4.0

A very thoughtful novel about Muslims in America. The story follows a young boy named Hayat, whose family moved to America from Pakistan. Eventually, the mother's best friend from her home country, Mina, comes to America with her young son Imran. Mina had been divorced by her husband, who threatens to take the boy when he is older. Mina and Imran move in with the family. Hayat loves Mina, who tells him stories from the Quran. She begins to teach him verses of the Quran and he is determined to memorize them and learn what these verses really mean. Mina begins to date a Jewish man, which causes much upheaval in their lives. This is as much a coming-of-age story as the story of a Muslim woman and her place within Islam.

emjay24's review against another edition

3.0

American Dervish is about a boy, Hayat, who gets carried away with religion. Neither of his parents are religious, and his dad, a research doctor, borders on being atheist. When he is about ten, his mom’s childhood best friend, his ‘aunt’ Mina, comes to live with them in the US after a divorce back in Pakistan. She is somewhat religious, so she begins to teach Hayat about their Muslim religion. In worry about his family and confusion about his other feelings, he takes everything a little bit too far and ends up partially ruining the lives of some people he loves. The story is told from his point of view later on in college, and even later as a young adult, so it was very rounded out and didn’t leave you wondering. This was a pretty good coming of age type story. The characters could have been more developed, but I think that was a little on purpose, because we were seeing things from a child’s point of view. I would have liked his dad, even with all his faults. The adults in the story seemed much more interesting and likable than the child.

alyscriv17's review against another edition

5.0

This book made me feel so much. It was so many things, and it was wonderf.

ldv's review against another edition

2.0

This book is more a window into Islam and Muslims and marital relations within that religion than about a young boy who becomes disillusioned by Islam, though this latter concept is the framework for the rest of the story. Hayat is the narrator who tells us "his" story, but it's more his auntie's story than his own. There are lots of tangents into Islamic traditions/teachings and culture, and the reader is left to make conclusions for his/herself, rather than have the writer comment directly. There's not a lot of emotional connections, except that you feel for the mother and auntie and their awkward life in between their religion and American freedom. I think one of the most interesting characters is the father, who recognizes the hypocrisy in his peers but also struggles with the traps of American "sins" of alcohol and sex. He's the most dynamic character but not given enough 'screen time' and dismissed as a good-for-nothing.
Potential here, but the book does not deliver its hype.

misspalah's review against another edition

4.0

I wanted to give 5 stars but i settled only on 4 stars. The story is interesting and make me went on from pages to pages without hesitation. The discovery and complication of faith by Mina and Hayat's father really touched my heart deeply. What happened to Mina in the end and what Hayat found out from Nathan after she died is a solid proof that god works in mysterious ways. You cant figure it out now, but a bit later, you know why it happened that way. I am looking forward to read another writing piece by Ayad Akhtar.

ari76's review against another edition

2.0

This has been on my shelf for years and years. I saw the play Disgraced in 2015 and left it feeling similar to how I feel now. Mind expanded about some aspects of Islam and Pakistani culture, but more frustrated with how potentially rich characters and plots are flattened in favor of unrelenting extremes. Perhaps that was Akhtar's point, but it leaves me as a reader wanting me and feeling unsure about what we were supposed to take away from the piece.. As some reviews have stated, the last fourth of the book was a gloss over tragedy and despair, and the ending made me upset about how Hayat's actions were "resolved". I was able to finish the whole book and enjoyed the moments where Akhtar explores how Hayat is coming to terms with religion and nuance in relationships, but I don't think I'll be reading it again.

gripyfish's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.0

asiaxena's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0