This is a really important book from an Arab American author. There are so many similarities between Indian and Arab culture that made this book a very compelling read for me. There is a great deal of importance, in both of these cultures, to marry into a “good” family, have children and be a “good” wife and mother. The novel goes into the more extreme aspects of the oppressive nature of being a woman from an Arab family. While these things are not something I have witnessed I know that it is the reality for many people in Arab and Indian cultures. When I started the book I remembering asking myself if this was a YA book but its not. It is categorized as literary fiction although it does not read like one from my experience. In other reviews I’ve seen some people argue that the novel is not nuanced enough and can seem repetitive at times. I agree with these sentiments however with so few novels that tackle this particular story I feel that it was well done and deserves the hype it is getting.
preeti reads 