Scan barcode
A review by twentycharm
We Do Not Make Love Here by Nisha Mehraj
5.0
More on my Instagram post to come (such as favourite quotes and highlights), but for now, my review:
Making use of a nonlinear timeline that jumps around portions of each character’s life, Mehraj explores the seemingly ordinary experiences of four characters, allowing readers to delve into their minds and interpret their relationship dynamics.
We see rage, pent-up and many times spilled out through their exchanges with one another, but we also see uncertainty, along with a complicated mix of unnamed emotions that are a constant undercurrent of their lives.
It’s hard for me to name what I loved most about this book, but I can definitely say it was one that made me very emotional while simultaneously soothing me with its melancholic mood. I was also very impressed by the seamless storytelling, and how well Mehraj handled everything, especially the ending when I was so scared of what lay ahead.
I also appreciated the “strong, visceral presence of women as daughters, wives, mothers, girlfriends, and workers”, as described by T. Sasitharan, “which serves to knit the story together,” as their being there was like a warm embrace to me.
I realise now that there isn’t much for me to add as this novel explains itself, but would like to encourage people to read it as it may just shed light on your human experience too. Thank you again to Epigram Books for publishing and sending this my way; I am so glad it surpassed my expectations as my most anticipated read of 2022.
Making use of a nonlinear timeline that jumps around portions of each character’s life, Mehraj explores the seemingly ordinary experiences of four characters, allowing readers to delve into their minds and interpret their relationship dynamics.
We see rage, pent-up and many times spilled out through their exchanges with one another, but we also see uncertainty, along with a complicated mix of unnamed emotions that are a constant undercurrent of their lives.
It’s hard for me to name what I loved most about this book, but I can definitely say it was one that made me very emotional while simultaneously soothing me with its melancholic mood. I was also very impressed by the seamless storytelling, and how well Mehraj handled everything, especially the ending when I was so scared of what lay ahead.
I also appreciated the “strong, visceral presence of women as daughters, wives, mothers, girlfriends, and workers”, as described by T. Sasitharan, “which serves to knit the story together,” as their being there was like a warm embrace to me.
I realise now that there isn’t much for me to add as this novel explains itself, but would like to encourage people to read it as it may just shed light on your human experience too. Thank you again to Epigram Books for publishing and sending this my way; I am so glad it surpassed my expectations as my most anticipated read of 2022.