Scan barcode
A review by thebakersbooks
Kismet by Amina Akhtar
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Unsettling, relatable, and tense as hell.
So this is a thriller. Or rather, this is what many thrillers I've read in the past were clearly aspiring to, but they didn't deliver the same punch (view spoiler) Anyway, this is a book for everyone who's felt out of place in the cookie-cutter right-leaning America typified by suburbia, but particularly for people of color who are subjected to microaggression after microaggression while living in the bitter relief of that they've avoided being targeted for outright violence.
Following Pakistani main character Ronnie on the twisted wellness journey that led her to leave her abusive aunt and move to Arizona with a white girl she's known for a few months, Kismet starts with unnerving hints of something rotten in Sedona and spirals with gorgeous smoothness into a community mad with xenophobia. I don't know which I enjoyed more: the commentary on white entitlement or the not-even-that-exaggerated look at wellness culture's flaws and appropriation of non-white cultural practices.
I had so much fun watching Ronnie grow into herself over the course of the story even as everything around her spiraled into fascism. I loved the ravens' POV and how Ronnie's prophetic dreams kept her from being entirely separate from the quasi-spirituality of Sedona's citizenry. I absolutely recommend Kismet to readers who enjoy thrillers, mysteries, and savvy brown women navigating the hostile terrain of white suburbia. Akhtar is definitely a new favorite author of mine!
content warnings: anti-Pakistani racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, murder, semi-graphic descriptions of corpses, physical and emotional abuse by a family member, gaslighting
So this is a thriller. Or rather, this is what many thrillers I've read in the past were clearly aspiring to, but they didn't deliver the same punch (view spoiler) Anyway, this is a book for everyone who's felt out of place in the cookie-cutter right-leaning America typified by suburbia, but particularly for people of color who are subjected to microaggression after microaggression while living in the bitter relief of that they've avoided being targeted for outright violence.
Following Pakistani main character Ronnie on the twisted wellness journey that led her to leave her abusive aunt and move to Arizona with a white girl she's known for a few months, Kismet starts with unnerving hints of something rotten in Sedona and spirals with gorgeous smoothness into a community mad with xenophobia. I don't know which I enjoyed more: the commentary on white entitlement or the not-even-that-exaggerated look at wellness culture's flaws and appropriation of non-white cultural practices.
I had so much fun watching Ronnie grow into herself over the course of the story even as everything around her spiraled into fascism. I loved the ravens' POV and how Ronnie's prophetic dreams kept her from being entirely separate from the quasi-spirituality of Sedona's citizenry. I absolutely recommend Kismet to readers who enjoy thrillers, mysteries, and savvy brown women navigating the hostile terrain of white suburbia. Akhtar is definitely a new favorite author of mine!
content warnings: anti-Pakistani racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, murder, semi-graphic descriptions of corpses, physical and emotional abuse by a family member, gaslighting
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Racism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Cultural appropriation
Minor: Gore, Physical abuse, Violence, Islamophobia, Murder, and Sexual harassment