Reviews

The Khan by Saima Mir

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clotalksbooks's review

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

This was a bit slow to get going, but once it did I was hooked. Elyas had my heart especially. All of the characters are complex and fully portrayed, not shying away from showing us both the light and dark. Though the switching point of view is at times confusing.

I can see why it has been compared to The Godfather, it also has almost Batman vibes. It discusses home, and what makes a home. It explores the pressures and loyalty of family. It demonstrates the power that women hold and how that is weilded by different people and means different things. It's gritty and raw.

A unique book, that reveals the truth slowly.

lifeoflouuk_06's review

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adventurous dark emotional 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

3.5

This was very enjoyable and had a few twist I wasn't expecting

robertjackson's review

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5.0

A most enjoyable read - providing insight to a very different culture. Similarities to the Godfather throughout! The ending - well that was clever! Never saw that coming at all!

xvicesx's review

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challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? N/A
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

This was incredibly painful to get through, even though it was a reasonably short book. The writing wasn't necessarily bad, but it was all over the place and the zoom of the narrator kept moving around as if it was some low budget sitcom. It was a very annoying feature, and very often felt unnecessary because it didn't add much to the story.

Nothing actually happens in the first 33% of this book. Nothing. There's a randomised grouping of various events that don't necessarily tie together and don't make a ton of sense. The book blurb states the father is murdered, it's the whole premise. Except it's not. It's a wedding. The father's still alive at the 33% mark.

The characters, I will not deny, are painted with a good background and with baggage in an attempt to make them vivid. They have large chips on their shoulders about their heritage, cultural and criminal, and it influences much of their relationships with each other. Is it readable, though? Not really.

I also found a few segments very preachy, focusing on misrepresentations of Islam, "whiteness" and "brownness" and the baggage on either side. I think either that discourse takes place in non-fiction books that deal with the topic at length, with a beginning, a middle and an end, OR, if it's fiction, it should take place in more natural contexts as the book actually proceeds through its plot (except there seems to be none here).

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