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davidamarion's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Dr Oliver Harding, a self-absorbed white, creep of a professor, considers himself an open-minded man, a center-leaning liberal. Jha's narrative has him juxtaposing his internalized sexism and racism (which centers around his fixation on his colleague Dr Ruhaba Khan, a Pakistani woman who wears a hijab) with this self-perception. The novel is funny and dark -- Harding wears his self-perception as armor even as he reveals the vilest bitterness and excuses for his own behavior.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Sexism, and Sexual content
thewordsdevourer's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.25
*Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC
Frankly, this book exceeds my expectations. The Laughter is a sharp, biting, irreverent take on America's cultural firestorm and Islamophobia through a tense and compelling academia lens.
Aside from the story and characters themselves, the novel's structure and ending also especially lay bare the reader's own biases and subverts expectations. The hints throughout the book fool you into thinking where it's all heading, only for Jha to pull the rug under your feet in a simple yet so effective a manner.
I also really like how all the characters are imbued with complexity even though it would have been so easy to paint one side completely one-dimensional in service of the other. The book being from the POV of white man in a position of power reveals how messed up the old guard's logic and thought processes can be as well. I lost count of how many times I gasped or thought, "You did not just say that" while reading the book.
Above all, however, this book illustrates for me, for the first time, how intensely claustrophobic and repressive Islamophobia is through Adil and Ruhaba alike. What the former endures, especially, is downright enraging and I admire how Jha is able to make me feel so deeply from her story. I hope this book garners the wide readership it so deserves.
Frankly, this book exceeds my expectations. The Laughter is a sharp, biting, irreverent take on America's cultural firestorm and Islamophobia through a tense and compelling academia lens.
Aside from the story and characters themselves, the novel's structure and ending also especially lay bare the reader's own biases and subverts expectations. The hints throughout the book fool you into thinking where it's all heading, only for Jha to pull the rug under your feet in a simple yet so effective a manner.
I also really like how all the characters are imbued with complexity even though it would have been so easy to paint one side completely one-dimensional in service of the other. The book being from the POV of white man in a position of power reveals how messed up the old guard's logic and thought processes can be as well. I lost count of how many times I gasped or thought, "You did not just say that" while reading the book.
Above all, however, this book illustrates for me, for the first time, how intensely claustrophobic and repressive Islamophobia is through Adil and Ruhaba alike. What the former endures, especially, is downright enraging and I admire how Jha is able to make me feel so deeply from her story. I hope this book garners the wide readership it so deserves.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infidelity and Islamophobia
Moderate: Murder, Sexual content, and Death
Minor: Gun violence, Mass/school shootings, Sexual assault, and Transphobia
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