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sarasbooks's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
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? No
4.5
Nazneen, a 16 year old Bangladeschi girl is married off to a 40 year old man in London and starts a new life in this city, far away from her family, namely her beloved sister Hasina.
I went into this book with no expectations. The rating on goodreads is not the highest, the reviews mostly say that it's a boring book with uninteresting characters. Also, I never saw anyone talking about this book anywhere. However, I wanted to give it a chance. And I'm SO glad I did.
There were so many different aspects that made this book special to me.
First off, I loved the well-developed characters. Nazneen and Hasina are so real and human with beautiful qualities. They're both strong, loyal, diligent, patient. It was also so beautiful to read about their faith in God. The reader really gets to know them in depth throughout their actions, thoughts, letters and dreams. I loved following them on this psychological journey.
The friendship between Nazneen and Razia was also very beautiful to read about.
The book is also surprisingly funny at times. Nazneen, Razia, Chanu have a good sense of humour.
This novel also teaches about many important topics such as being an immigrant, being a woman, marriage, making decisions and finding yourself.
I had never read a book based on Bangladeschi characters and their culture before and I'm really hoping to read more about it in the future.
I often forgot I was reading fiction, because of how authentic it all felt. Monica Ali truly managed to write a very realistic story that despite all the hardships is not discouraging but gives hope.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cultural appropriation
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