This book. There are very few books that I could say "took my breath away," and this is one of them. Undoubtedly in my top 5, up there with Gone with the Wind and The Fountainhead. I listened to the audiobook, which is excellent! It is narrated by Deepti Gupta, who reads Fatima Farheen Mirza's words with a soothing, gentle grace. Also probably the best audiobook I've ever listened to. I found excuses to run errands just so I could pop my headphones on and keep listening.
I first learned about this book on this podcast episode, A Place for Us is the first novel from Sarah Jessica Parker's new imprint, SJP for Hogarth. The story chronicles an Indian-American Muslim family, as they reconnect for the oldest daughter's wedding. The story is told throughout a series of flashbacks spanning decades and offering perspectives through the lens of different family members. Perhaps what captured my attention most about this novel was the intimacy of a family Mirza is able to capture. The thoughts we think but do not say aloud. The wonderings had after challenging conversations. The worry parents carry for their children and hold close to their chest. Every nuance of this story is told with such poise and clarity, honoring the devotion parents have toward their children and children toward their siblings. If there ever was a well told story, this is it. I have nothing but good words. I can always justify a good book if I'm still thinking about it days, weeks, even months after reading it...which I am.
Read it. Trust me.
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