A review by enscribed
Minaret by Leila Aboulela

emotional reflective slow-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

2.5

I had high hopes for this book and every subsequent page was an exercise in disappointment. I could not connect with Najwa knowing that her thoughts and actions were framed as the voice of the narrative and not intentional character choices; it was when she expressed the sentiment of "We only faced tragedy because we didn't pray hard enough" that the alarm bells went off. There is CRUCIAL room in the world for a story about the power of Muslim faith, but it can be done without the constant self-righteous contempt for women (mostly women, though Omar's addiction is treated with very little compassion as well) who have lost touch with faith or otherwise have more complicated relationships with it than Tamer/Najwa do. There is more than one Correct way to be a diaspora Muslim but this book wasn't written to earnestly speak to diaspora Muslims; it was written for Westerners whose starting point knowledge of Islam is propaganda or uncritical demonization. Still a valid perspective, but the completely nuance-less way it's written cheapens it as a story for me.