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A review by katsbooks
The Bad Muslim Discount by Syed M. Masood
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
“...being with someone is an acquired skill. There is an art to it. Basically, you have to watch your partner take a chisel - or a war hammer, depending on the day - and chip away at the ideal version of them that you've created in your mind. The person you fall in love with is always slightly different from the person you need to stay in love with. More real and more flawed, but also more complex and better defined.”
“I am saying that you should read everyone else's story with the same respect as you do your own.”
“Checkers is the game of life,” she said. “Idiots will tell you that chess is, but it isn’t. That’s a game of war. Real life is like checkers. You try to make your way to where you need to go and to do it you’ve got to jump over people while they’re trying to jump over you and everyone is in each other’s way.”
I think my favorite thing about this book is that it somehow was equal parts intense and hilarious. Anvar's voice was so interesting and compelling. I got a lot of feels from the story. I connected with some of the conversations around religion, specifically, conservative religious voices. I'm not Muslim but the author made some really fascinating parallels between conservative Christianity and conservative Islam.
Anvar felt like a really authentic character. Safwa did, as well, but she was a bit confusing to me. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the author being a man but she felt so strong and fierce in the beginning and the way her arc played out felt like it didn't entirely align with the personality the author had built for her. However, I may be missing something cultural. Ultimately, I just don't know how to feel about her as a character.
I've seen some mixed #ownvoices reviews. If you're not super into narratives about people questioning their religion, this is definitely not for you. Also trigger warnings for rape, assault and general violence.
“I am saying that you should read everyone else's story with the same respect as you do your own.”
“Checkers is the game of life,” she said. “Idiots will tell you that chess is, but it isn’t. That’s a game of war. Real life is like checkers. You try to make your way to where you need to go and to do it you’ve got to jump over people while they’re trying to jump over you and everyone is in each other’s way.”
I think my favorite thing about this book is that it somehow was equal parts intense and hilarious. Anvar's voice was so interesting and compelling. I got a lot of feels from the story. I connected with some of the conversations around religion, specifically, conservative religious voices. I'm not Muslim but the author made some really fascinating parallels between conservative Christianity and conservative Islam.
Anvar felt like a really authentic character. Safwa did, as well, but she was a bit confusing to me. I'm not sure if it has something to do with the author being a man but she felt so strong and fierce in the beginning and the way her arc played out felt like it didn't entirely align with the personality the author had built for her. However, I may be missing something cultural. Ultimately, I just don't know how to feel about her as a character.
I've seen some mixed #ownvoices reviews. If you're not super into narratives about people questioning their religion, this is definitely not for you. Also trigger warnings for rape, assault and general violence.