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kellyvandamme's review
4.0
In the Company of Strangers had been on my TBR for a while, I snapped up a Kindle edition last year, and I was planning on reading it early this year to be ready for Awais Khan’s Orenda Books debut later this year, so when I heard about this audiobook tour I nearly bit off D’s hand! It’s no secret I love audiobooks in general, and they can be such a fun and efficient way of catching up with your TBR. That was certainly the case with In the Company of Strangers, which turned out to be a clear win for me, I flew through it, always eager to pick it back up whenever I had to stop listening.
In the Company of Strangers kicks off with a prologue that makes you sit up and pay attention. For most of the story, the point of view switches between Mona and Ali. Mona is in her early forties, has two kids in college and is basically living in a golden cage. Materialistically speaking she doesn’t want for anything, but the hubby doesn’t quite comprehend that not everything can be fixed by throwing money at it. Ali is in his late twenties, he has a bit of a chequered past and he is now mostly focussed on helping his family, especially his little brother. There are many years and quite a few cultural differences between the two, but there is an instant spark between them, one that they both try to ignore, especially Mona, as such feelings – let alone acting on them – are pretty much sacrilegious for a married Pakistani woman.
In the Company of Strangers is a love story but also a thriller. There is drama, there is action, there is crime. There is literally something for any reader to be drawn in by. I loved the different genre elements and how they were all woven together. It has a very natural flow to it and in a way I felt it also represents the kaleidoscope of real life, which made it feel very realistic, which I enjoyed very much. From the very start, the writing is so vivid and evocative that while I was listening, the events played out effortlessly before my mind’s eye, yet I never felt bombarded by details. While I was listening, all my other senses sprang into action as well, I saw beads of sweat on foreheads, I felt the heat on my skin, I smelled the open drains, I tasted the metallic taste of blood in the air. Admittedly, I have a very vivid imagination, but this doesn’t happen with all books I read or listen to, it takes skills to draw me in this deep.
As far as I can recall, In the Company of Strangers is only the second novel with a Pakistan setting that I’ve ever read. Pakistan is a country I know little about, and so I truly enjoyed finding out more. There is love for Pakistan between the pages of this book, yet Awais does not shy away from criticising his country and its culture. Through the lives of Ali and Mona and some of the supporting characters, I learnt how Pakistan is a country of extremes: rich versus poor, very traditional versus very modern ideas. Khan highlights how in the traditional households women are to obey, how they will be beaten into submission like an errant dog if they do not. He writes of terrorism and suicide bombing, of male and female models reduced to sexual objects.
Put like that, you might think that In the Company of Strangers is a very heavy book, a bleak read that drags its reader down. Yet it isn’t and it doesn’t. There is bleakness, no doubt about it, but there is also beauty, and strength, and love, and hope. All things considered, I feel that it is first and foremost a very powerful story.
The narrator, Esh Alladi, narrates with drama and flair, somehow making the vivid writing even more evocative. His narration style and voice are very easy on the ears and I found his accents (including Pakistani accents for the dialogues) a pleasure to listen to. He does do the male voices better than the female ones, as is often the case with male narrators, but it is always clear who is talking and most importantly, the female voices never get overly high-pitched or annoying. This is clearly a narrator who knows his own voice, and its limits, and uses it with practised ease and expertise. I’m not so secretly hoping that Awais’ next book will be narrated by Esh Alladi as well, and if so, I’ll be first in line to get my paws on it!
In the Company of Strangers was a huge pleasure to listen to. I loved the story and the narration, and if any of the above sparked your interest, I really do hope you’ll check it out.
In the Company of Strangers kicks off with a prologue that makes you sit up and pay attention. For most of the story, the point of view switches between Mona and Ali. Mona is in her early forties, has two kids in college and is basically living in a golden cage. Materialistically speaking she doesn’t want for anything, but the hubby doesn’t quite comprehend that not everything can be fixed by throwing money at it. Ali is in his late twenties, he has a bit of a chequered past and he is now mostly focussed on helping his family, especially his little brother. There are many years and quite a few cultural differences between the two, but there is an instant spark between them, one that they both try to ignore, especially Mona, as such feelings – let alone acting on them – are pretty much sacrilegious for a married Pakistani woman.
In the Company of Strangers is a love story but also a thriller. There is drama, there is action, there is crime. There is literally something for any reader to be drawn in by. I loved the different genre elements and how they were all woven together. It has a very natural flow to it and in a way I felt it also represents the kaleidoscope of real life, which made it feel very realistic, which I enjoyed very much. From the very start, the writing is so vivid and evocative that while I was listening, the events played out effortlessly before my mind’s eye, yet I never felt bombarded by details. While I was listening, all my other senses sprang into action as well, I saw beads of sweat on foreheads, I felt the heat on my skin, I smelled the open drains, I tasted the metallic taste of blood in the air. Admittedly, I have a very vivid imagination, but this doesn’t happen with all books I read or listen to, it takes skills to draw me in this deep.
As far as I can recall, In the Company of Strangers is only the second novel with a Pakistan setting that I’ve ever read. Pakistan is a country I know little about, and so I truly enjoyed finding out more. There is love for Pakistan between the pages of this book, yet Awais does not shy away from criticising his country and its culture. Through the lives of Ali and Mona and some of the supporting characters, I learnt how Pakistan is a country of extremes: rich versus poor, very traditional versus very modern ideas. Khan highlights how in the traditional households women are to obey, how they will be beaten into submission like an errant dog if they do not. He writes of terrorism and suicide bombing, of male and female models reduced to sexual objects.
Put like that, you might think that In the Company of Strangers is a very heavy book, a bleak read that drags its reader down. Yet it isn’t and it doesn’t. There is bleakness, no doubt about it, but there is also beauty, and strength, and love, and hope. All things considered, I feel that it is first and foremost a very powerful story.
The narrator, Esh Alladi, narrates with drama and flair, somehow making the vivid writing even more evocative. His narration style and voice are very easy on the ears and I found his accents (including Pakistani accents for the dialogues) a pleasure to listen to. He does do the male voices better than the female ones, as is often the case with male narrators, but it is always clear who is talking and most importantly, the female voices never get overly high-pitched or annoying. This is clearly a narrator who knows his own voice, and its limits, and uses it with practised ease and expertise. I’m not so secretly hoping that Awais’ next book will be narrated by Esh Alladi as well, and if so, I’ll be first in line to get my paws on it!
In the Company of Strangers was a huge pleasure to listen to. I loved the story and the narration, and if any of the above sparked your interest, I really do hope you’ll check it out.
faiza_nara's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book starts off slow. I didn't really enjoy the first half of the book. It was really two people's perspective of the same encounter for the majority part of the first part, however, it does pick up towards the middle and the end. I loved Ali. His nature and his sacrifice for Mona.
zooloo1983's review
4.0
I am not sure how to start this review or where to start this review. Well one thing for sure, is the audiobook was just simply amazing. I thought that Esh Alladi’s narration was just pure magic. He bought Awais’ words alive, his narration, the different accents for the different characters were fab, he made it so much more enjoyable listening to his voice.
I did not know what to expect when I started In the Company of Strangers, I did not expect that I would grow so attached to Ali and Mona and worry what will happen to them and I did worry. In the final chapters, I had my heart in my throat and I was incredibly sad, I can’t say why or what because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone but all you need to know was it made me sad.
I really don’t know how to review this, it is still too raw for me. It is a moving story of a woman in the constraints of her marriage, her social status, her world is rocked when the bombings start. She meets Ali, he is young and full of life but he too has his own sufferings. When we reach the full circle, it is an emotive and powerful circle.
You know when you pick this book up from the opening pages, it isn’t just about the thrill or the romance, there is so much more. The luscious backdrops of Mira’s parties, they are scandalous and colourful, are backdropped against the stark and coldness of the terrorism lurking just on the peripheral, a constant reminder of foreboding.
It really is hard to talk about the book because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. This is the book that opens with a shocking scene and pulls you in. There we meet and care about two people and these two people will stay with me. I think what I can say is that it is unfair. Gah, but I can’t even explain why I think it is unfair, it wrenched at my heart, pulled them tight and I felt that loss. I know I know I have repeated myself!
This is a beautiful debut and I will be keeping my eye out for more by Awais.
I did not know what to expect when I started In the Company of Strangers, I did not expect that I would grow so attached to Ali and Mona and worry what will happen to them and I did worry. In the final chapters, I had my heart in my throat and I was incredibly sad, I can’t say why or what because I don’t want to ruin it for anyone but all you need to know was it made me sad.
I really don’t know how to review this, it is still too raw for me. It is a moving story of a woman in the constraints of her marriage, her social status, her world is rocked when the bombings start. She meets Ali, he is young and full of life but he too has his own sufferings. When we reach the full circle, it is an emotive and powerful circle.
You know when you pick this book up from the opening pages, it isn’t just about the thrill or the romance, there is so much more. The luscious backdrops of Mira’s parties, they are scandalous and colourful, are backdropped against the stark and coldness of the terrorism lurking just on the peripheral, a constant reminder of foreboding.
It really is hard to talk about the book because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone. This is the book that opens with a shocking scene and pulls you in. There we meet and care about two people and these two people will stay with me. I think what I can say is that it is unfair. Gah, but I can’t even explain why I think it is unfair, it wrenched at my heart, pulled them tight and I felt that loss. I know I know I have repeated myself!
This is a beautiful debut and I will be keeping my eye out for more by Awais.
writingwwolves's review
4.0
I’m so unsure of what to say about this book as it’s just so different to what I usually read. There was a very long build up & quite a short ending, but the whole thing was incredibly captivating & it’s a book that’s left me numb. In the Company of Strangers covers a lot of issues; love, class, terrorism, religion, family, domestic abuse & probably a few others that I can’t name right now, so it’s hard to pinpoint what it was really about. What I can say is that I was interested in this book from the first few chapters & my interest multiplied with each page turn - it was a book that enveloped me & one I read for hours at a time.
⚠️ This book contains fatphobic views, sexism, classism, death, bomb scenes/gun shootings & the medical aftermath, discussions of terrorism, scenes of domestic violence, homophobia & other related scenes that could cause upset and/or offence ⚠️
I was sent this book to review as part of a blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2SV
⚠️ This book contains fatphobic views, sexism, classism, death, bomb scenes/gun shootings & the medical aftermath, discussions of terrorism, scenes of domestic violence, homophobia & other related scenes that could cause upset and/or offence ⚠️
I was sent this book to review as part of a blog tour organised by Rachel’s Random Resources.
Extended Review: https://wp.me/p8MbIo-2SV
nashwa017's review
This is a big, fat DNF at page 50.
Usually, when I don't finish a book, I don't rate it but anything I can do to lower the collective rating of this book, I will do.
This is really one of the worst books I've picked up this entire year. It's an incredibly uninformed, biased and poorly researched. It's so clear that the author is male and doesn't know how women think, and talk and I did wonder at some point if we had ever spoken to a woman before in this life.
In 50 pages, the author peddled a pretty misogynistic mindset where he talked about women's bodies, unnecessarily sexualising women and writing about "heaving bosoms" in a scene where a woman is buying a shawl. He wrote about a woman who was groped and seemingly enjoyed it. He wrote about very ageist things, where a woman's only concern is how old she is.
I have a lot to say, every page is problematic. Save your time and money and skip this one.
Usually, when I don't finish a book, I don't rate it but anything I can do to lower the collective rating of this book, I will do.
This is really one of the worst books I've picked up this entire year. It's an incredibly uninformed, biased and poorly researched. It's so clear that the author is male and doesn't know how women think, and talk and I did wonder at some point if we had ever spoken to a woman before in this life.
In 50 pages, the author peddled a pretty misogynistic mindset where he talked about women's bodies, unnecessarily sexualising women and writing about "heaving bosoms" in a scene where a woman is buying a shawl. He wrote about a woman who was groped and seemingly enjoyed it. He wrote about very ageist things, where a woman's only concern is how old she is.
I have a lot to say, every page is problematic. Save your time and money and skip this one.
tonyfrobisher's review
5.0
A book that takes your through the intricate layers of Pakistani and Lahore in particular. Awais Khan writes with a wonderfully descriptive, evocative and sensory style, but also delivers a powerful narrative, reflecting the complexity and diversity of Pakistan; it's beauty and wealth, it's fervent extremists and privileged elites. Against such a rich and colourful background, Awais Khan weaves a story of relationships - encapsulating longing, abandonment, love, jealousy, fulfilment and desire.
A beautiful book, and a beautifully written debut. I can not recommend reading In The Company Of Strangers highly enough.
A beautiful book, and a beautifully written debut. I can not recommend reading In The Company Of Strangers highly enough.
iphigenie72's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
kdominey's review
dark
tense
medium-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
hiranazsulehri's review against another edition
5.0
Just finished the book, not in a state to review but here my 5 stars say it all