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A review by justinbaumann71
The Loophole by Naz Kutub
5.0
Anyone who follows me knows I am chinsey as hell when it comes to giving out genuine 5 star reviews that are not rounded up from a 4.5 etc. HOWEVER, this book delivered. I do want disclaimer that I am not Indian nor muslim but I am gay and was able to resonate with all the themes in this book even though I am not an own voice reader/reviewer.
This is a powerful story with so many of the themes intertwining and being woven together to tell a compelling story of love and identity. The character of Sy starts of timid and afraid of the world in a lot of ways due to his sheltered life and abuse at the hands of his father (check the TW which are also labeled at the beginning of the story), but by the end feels like a believably transformed character who was able to find themselves and find their sense of self and family in the world by the end of the novel.
The pacing is spectacular in this novel. It is not a long book with an audiobook of only 7 hours, which feels like this barely made the cusp between short story/novella and full book. However, the author is very skilled in his word choices and how he conveys the story especially through the use of short chapters which allow us as the reader to move through the world quickly while still feeling connected to the world. It helps that Reggie is basically able to justify anything the story needs through her abilites/connections/powers however you want to define her. Speaking of Reggie, amazing and fun character! I loved her! Her connection to Sy by the end is heartwarming and the subtle ways she connects to him throughout the novel allow us to see her changing without throwing it in our faces.
Now I will see the gaslighting/manipulative ultimatium that the love interest puts upon Sy was really messed up and can taken away from your enjoyment of the novel. I think bc of how Sy ends of resolving the novel it can be perceived he grew from it, but no matter how you cut the context of Farouks actions it just wasn't cool, but his character is essentially in exestential turmoil so what he did does not shock me.
I could continue to gush about this novel, but I think I have said what needs to be said. This novel currently has a spot in my top 5 of the year.
This is a powerful story with so many of the themes intertwining and being woven together to tell a compelling story of love and identity. The character of Sy starts of timid and afraid of the world in a lot of ways due to his sheltered life and abuse at the hands of his father (check the TW which are also labeled at the beginning of the story), but by the end feels like a believably transformed character who was able to find themselves and find their sense of self and family in the world by the end of the novel.
The pacing is spectacular in this novel. It is not a long book with an audiobook of only 7 hours, which feels like this barely made the cusp between short story/novella and full book. However, the author is very skilled in his word choices and how he conveys the story especially through the use of short chapters which allow us as the reader to move through the world quickly while still feeling connected to the world. It helps that Reggie is basically able to justify anything the story needs through her abilites/connections/powers however you want to define her. Speaking of Reggie, amazing and fun character! I loved her! Her connection to Sy by the end is heartwarming and the subtle ways she connects to him throughout the novel allow us to see her changing without throwing it in our faces.
Now I will see the gaslighting/manipulative ultimatium that the love interest puts upon Sy was really messed up and can taken away from your enjoyment of the novel. I think bc of how Sy ends of resolving the novel it can be perceived he grew from it, but no matter how you cut the context of Farouks actions it just wasn't cool, but his character is essentially in exestential turmoil so what he did does not shock me.
I could continue to gush about this novel, but I think I have said what needs to be said. This novel currently has a spot in my top 5 of the year.