A Place For Us

[Anonymous]

Preface to say my favorite places to buy books are thrift stores. There's always such an onslaught of new books I don't often buy them unless it's a new book by an author I love. So I rummage among the Anita Shreve's and Maeve Bincheys and miles of John Grisham, and often I'll select a book based first on its title, a quick glance at the flyleaf or back cover of a paperback, and read a few sentences. Typeface also matters. I have found wonderful authors this way. It just takes a lot of rummaging through the shelves. Of course, they are never really new titles.

Which is how I came across this. First novel (Fatima Mirza apparently working on another) and one of the few I have ever thought flawless. Muslim family, parents from Hyderabad, kids born in US. Two girls and a boy who doesn't fit in, with religion a big part of how he doesn't fit it. It takes place during the older daughter's wedding but most of it is drifting back and forth over the years from different points of view. But it's not like some books where a chapter is labeled by the year or who is speaking, and the flow of the past is not chronological. It flows backwards and forwards, one narrator recalling an event might come 100 pages after another narrator recalled it.

It also reminded me of Marilynne Robinson's book Home, where Jack Boughton shows up at his father's home, and somewhat her other book Jack, which goes into more detail about his life away from his family. Amar's struggle with religion is very, very much like Jack's--wishing on one level they could simply believe simply like other people do, on other levels fighting against the structure of religion in their world and their own association of God with their fathers. Both of them disappear, both of them have families torn between protecting and loving them and the wrong things they do, including siblings who cover up for them at times. Both of them sneak off to drink. Both love a woman (for Amar it's a girl in their circle, for Jack it's a woman he meets when estranged from his family) but both their own weaknesses and struggles and their worlds push them apart.

Story would be lame in the hands of a lot of writers, she does a beautiful job with this book.

[Anonymous]

It really is a beautiful, touching book. It has stuck with me years after reading it.

[Anonymous]

I loved that book!!! She is married to Riz Ahmed.

[Anonymous]

I really loved that book. It stayed with me for a long time. I hope she writes something else soon.

If I’m remembering correctly, this was published under Sarah Jessica Parker’s imprint. I scoffed initially but was ultimately very impressed.

[Anonymous]

I read that when it was published and I still think about it. I really loved it.