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A review by seisha
The Startup Wife by Tahmima Anam
3.0
Sometimes I wonder whether the global publishing market has an almost magically sensitive barometer of the consumer's wants and wishes, as this was the exact book I had been searching for. A book with a female entrepreneur ánd programmer as its main character - this must be my lucky day. But perhaps I did the author a disservice by inflating my expectations and forming a preconceived notion of what the story should be, and inevitably disappointing myself a bit in the end.
The novel's strong suits were its insightful descriptions of the challenges, absurdities and rewards of the enigmatic startup world, likely based on the author's own experiences, and the power struggles the brilliant Asha faces with the person she held closest. The tragedy of a woman choosing her relationship over her company while loosing both in the process was a heart-breaking but engaging read.
This book seems to have an identity crisis, though. Is it a romantic novel? Is it literary fiction? A large part of the plot is too realistic for it to be a deliciously pulpy romance, while some plot points are too romanticised for it to be a literary novel, causing a confusing vicissitude of tones. This fact is most prominent in the ending, which was suddenly quite optimistic. Though Asha does gain the understanding she was partly to blame for being pushed out of the board by being too accommodating, the plot depends too much on Cyrus's sudden change of heart to make Asha CEO. It would have been enjoyable to see Asha learn to stand up for herself instead.
3.5 stars
The novel's strong suits were its insightful descriptions of the challenges, absurdities and rewards of the enigmatic startup world, likely based on the author's own experiences, and the power struggles the brilliant Asha faces with the person she held closest. The tragedy of a woman choosing her relationship over her company while loosing both in the process was a heart-breaking but engaging read.
This book seems to have an identity crisis, though. Is it a romantic novel? Is it literary fiction? A large part of the plot is too realistic for it to be a deliciously pulpy romance, while some plot points are too romanticised for it to be a literary novel, causing a confusing vicissitude of tones. This fact is most prominent in the ending, which was suddenly quite optimistic. Though Asha does gain the understanding she was partly to blame for being pushed out of the board by being too accommodating, the plot depends too much on Cyrus's sudden change of heart to make Asha CEO. It would have been enjoyable to see Asha learn to stand up for herself instead.
3.5 stars