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A PLACE FOR US

by Fatima Farheen Mirza ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 12, 2018

The author's passion for her subject shines like the moon in the night sky, a recurrent image in this ardent and powerful...

An American Muslim family is torn apart in the struggle between tradition and modernity.

"The wedding was coming together wonderfully. People were arriving on time. There was a table for mango juice and pineapple juice and another for appetizers, replenished as soon as the items were lifted from the platter. White orchids spilled from tall glass vases on every table." But down the hall at the hotel bar, there is an element of this wedding that is not coming together so smoothly—the prodigal brother of the bride. Amar ran away from home years earlier after a series of escalating troubles in high school, rooted in a forbidden romance between him and Amira Ali, the daughter of a prominent local family. Their connection became only more intense when Amira's older brother, a close friend of Amar's, was killed in a car accident. The novel moves back and forth in time to explore the story of parents Layla and Rafiq and their three children, Hadia, Huda, and Amar. The events of 9/11, the temptations of drugs and alcohol, the pressure for academic achievement, and the traditions of arranged marriage all play a role. It is Hadia, the bride, who has reached out to her brother and begged him to attend her wedding, but when he sees his one-time love Amira among the guests, old secrets and betrayals bubble to the surface. Unfortunately, as the story rolls back and forth through the chronology and the perspectives of the different family members, the conflicts are rehashed too many times and at too much length. The debut of 26-year-old Mirza is the first book from Sarah Jessica Parker's imprint at Hogarth; it explores the spiritual lives of its characters with sympathy and passion. The title of the book echoes a song from West Side Story , itself a retelling of Romeo and Juliet . Here the warring forces are not two families but one, split by the tension between reverence and rebellion.

Pub Date: June 12, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5247-6355-8

Page Count: 400

Publisher: SJP for Hogarth

Review Posted Online: March 19, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018

LITERARY FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

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National Book Foundation Honors ‘5 Under 35’

THE NIGHTINGALE

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 2015

Still, a respectful and absorbing page-turner.

Hannah’s new novel is an homage to the extraordinary courage and endurance of Frenchwomen during World War II.

In 1995, an elderly unnamed widow is moving into an Oregon nursing home on the urging of her controlling son, Julien, a surgeon. This trajectory is interrupted when she receives an invitation to return to France to attend a ceremony honoring passeurs : people who aided the escape of others during the war. Cut to spring, 1940: Viann has said goodbye to husband Antoine, who's off to hold the Maginot line against invading Germans. She returns to tending her small farm, Le Jardin, in the Loire Valley, teaching at the local school and coping with daughter Sophie’s adolescent rebellion. Soon, that world is upended: The Germans march into Paris and refugees flee south, overrunning Viann’s land. Her long-estranged younger sister, Isabelle, who has been kicked out of multiple convent schools, is sent to Le Jardin by Julien, their father in Paris, a drunken, decidedly unpaternal Great War veteran. As the depredations increase in the occupied zone—food rationing, systematic looting, and the billeting of a German officer, Capt. Beck, at Le Jardin—Isabelle’s outspokenness is a liability. She joins the Resistance, volunteering for dangerous duty: shepherding downed Allied airmen across the Pyrenees to Spain. Code-named the Nightingale, Isabelle will rescue many before she's captured. Meanwhile, Viann’s journey from passive to active resistance is less dramatic but no less wrenching. Hannah vividly demonstrates how the Nazis, through starvation, intimidation and barbarity both casual and calculated, demoralized the French, engineering a community collapse that enabled the deportations and deaths of more than 70,000 Jews. Hannah’s proven storytelling skills are ideally suited to depicting such cataclysmic events, but her tendency to sentimentalize undermines the gravitas of this tale.

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-312-57722-3

Page Count: 448

Publisher: St. Martin's

Review Posted Online: Nov. 19, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2014

HISTORICAL FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

More by Kristin Hannah

BOOK REVIEW

by Kristin Hannah

BOOK TO SCREEN

‘The Nightingale’ Is Reese’s Book Club Pick

SEEN & HEARD

FIREFLY LANE

by Kristin Hannah ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 1, 2008

Dated sermonizing on career versus motherhood, and conflict driven by characters’ willed helplessness, sap this tale of...

Lifelong, conflicted friendship of two women is the premise of Hannah’s maudlin latest ( Magic Hour , 2006, etc.), again set in Washington State.

Tallulah “Tully” Hart, father unknown, is the daughter of a hippie, Cloud, who makes only intermittent appearances in her life. Tully takes refuge with the family of her “best friend forever,” Kate Mularkey, who compares herself unfavorably with Tully, in regards to looks and charisma. In college, “TullyandKate” pledge the same sorority and major in communications. Tully has a life goal for them both: They will become network TV anchorwomen. Tully lands an internship at KCPO-TV in Seattle and finagles a producing job for Kate. Kate no longer wishes to follow Tully into broadcasting and is more drawn to fiction writing, but she hesitates to tell her overbearing friend. Meanwhile a love triangle blooms at KCPO: Hard-bitten, irresistibly handsome, former war correspondent Johnny is clearly smitten with Tully. Expecting rejection, Kate keeps her infatuation with Johnny secret. When Tully lands a reporting job with a Today -like show, her career shifts into hyperdrive. Johnny and Kate had started an affair once Tully moved to Manhattan, and when Kate gets pregnant with daughter Marah, they marry. Kate is content as a stay-at-home mom, but frets about being Johnny’s second choice and about her unrealized writing ambitions. Tully becomes Seattle’s answer to Oprah. She hires Johnny, which spells riches for him and Kate. But Kate’s buttons are fully depressed by pitched battles over slutwear and curfews with teenaged Marah, who idolizes her godmother Tully. In an improbable twist, Tully invites Kate and Marah to resolve their differences on her show, only to blindside Kate by accusing her, on live TV, of overprotecting Marah. The BFFs are sundered. Tully’s latest attempt to salvage Cloud fails: The incorrigible, now geriatric hippie absconds once more. Just as Kate develops a spine, she’s given some devastating news. Will the friends reconcile before it’s too late?

Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-312-36408-3

Page Count: 496

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2007

GENERAL FICTION | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP

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A Place for Us

By fatima farheen mirza, a powerful and well-crafted, but uneven family saga.

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza has been the belle of the ball lately, adorned in a gilded gold and violet cover and making the rounds with Sarah Jessica Parker in a full-out promotional blitz, complete with stylish matching totes. Parker chose the book for her inaugural release for SJP for Hogarth , a sub-imprint of Penguin Random House, and she’s been hawking the book all over instagram, various large bookstores and the morning news.

Mirza is a first-time author, and the book has been largely well-received all around, with absolutely fawning reviews across Amazon and major publications.

NPR ‘s Michael Schuab describes it as a “ miracle .” The Washington Posts ‘s Ron Charles reviewed it, too (obnoxiously entitled “ Sarah Jessica Parker thinks she knows what you should read. She’s right. “), and describes how “awed” he was and what a “privilege” it was to “dwell among its characters” — at this point, my bullshit detector started going off like crazy.

I decided right then that it was going on my to-read-immediately list; perhaps a review from someone free from the echo chamber and with less of a vested interest in sucking up to a celebrity-endorsed publishing imprint that’s courting positive press would be a helpful addition to the review landscape. I ordered it off Amazon, no freebies attached and no celebrity events involved, and started reading.

A Place For Us Plot Summary

For the Detailed Plot Summary, click here or scroll all the way down .

A Place for Us opens with return of the prodigal son, Amar, to attend the wedding of his older sister. It’s an uncomfortable family reunion.

From there, the book provides revealing glimpses into this Indian-American Muslim family living in the Bay Area. The book achronologically traces their paths with the parents’ arranged marriage and immigrating to America, to the childhoods of the three children, up until the present.

Amar, impetuous but kind, is the youngest of the children as well as the only boy. He’s also the black sheep of the family, and it’s his relationship with his family and his struggle to find his place within it that gets the most thorough treatment.

Story Structure

The first half of the book liberally jumps forwards and backwards in time, from narrator to narrator, often shedding new light on previously described scenes. The varying narrators works well. The time jumps, less so. While a few strategic jumps could have easily been effective, very quickly the over-eager time jumping every few pages started to get old.

After a time shift, I was no longer invested in the story but merely trying to discern what time-frame the book was now operating in, dampening any emotional impact. Is this a small child asking a question or a full grown adult? Has X event happened yet? Is this a continuation of the previous section or a time jump? Instead of reading a book, it was 200 pages of “ Where’s Waldo ” in a search for clues about the character’s ages.

While some people may not mind getting the “gist” of things and moving on, each part that I couldn’t place into its exact context grated at me (eventually I just wrote out the timeline, see the Detailed Plot Summary, below ). Mostly, the jumbled delivery at the beginning just seemed a little unnecessary. For a book that trades on emotional resonance, I’m just not convinced it’s a narrative device that really makes sense here. It overshadowed what would otherwise be a touching, thought-provoking and nuanced story. I’m also guessing a fair amount of people will end up giving up on the book due to the confusion.

Book Review

As the story’s narrative inches closer to present day, it tones down the time-shifting. Once the plot evens out, A Place for Us becomes surprisingly coherent and purposeful. Despite a beginning that somehow manages to be both frenetic and dragging at the same time, once the plotline steadies itself, a much more collected and thoughtful story takes shape.

This is a book that covers a lot of ground from sibling dynamics to parenting choices and the impact of race and religion. I appreciated how understated but powerful the drama is, lending it credulity and realism, and the shifting narration works well here.

The actual events of the novel are surprising unremarkable from an objective point of view, yet somehow feel like a punch in gut in the context of the book. In A Place For Us , fairly everyday things, the small betrayals and disappointments, will leave you feeling emotionally gutted.

The impact of the novel is dependent on very intentionally crafted and nuanced plot elements. Despite my initial frustration with the book, by the end, I was fully invested in this story with a pile of tissues nearby.

Author Fatima Farheen Mirza

Themes and Topics

As Amar struggles to find his place in the family, the novel explores how we show love or let each other down, and the things and words that get lost or remain unsaid. Each of the characters also contends with how their traditions and customs conflict with modern realities in various ways. The book touches upon the topic of being Muslim in a post-9/11 world, though with a light hand.

Sadly, the person Amar trusts the least ends up being the one who believed in him the most. And while tradition or customs may stir up tensions in this book, the things that really tear this family apart are basic and universal.

A Place for Us is not an effortless read, but it is an empathetic and ultimately rewarding story about an immigrant family. Their struggles and flaws, small but important betrayals, the Indian-American Muslim experience, and the tensions of tradition and culture clashing with modern life all play a part in this heartrending and bittersweet story.

The shifting narration succeeds at least as much as the shifting timeline fails, and the portrayal of the family is sympathetic yet powerful.

This book takes a little bit of time and patience to get through due to its sheer length, pacing, and structure, but it is not a wasted effort. I found the story very intelligently crafted and emotionally resonant — though sadly, no, not an awe-inducing miracle. (As an aside, I think that Washington Post review would be more properly titled, “ Sarah Jessica Parker thinks celebrity appearances and free goodies are enough to garner over-hyped positive reviews. She’s right. “)

Considering this is one of the few depictions of a Indian-American or Muslim-American family in popular fiction, I’m glad it’s out there and being read. I also think this would make a fantastic book club choice. There’s a ton to talk about in terms of the themes, literary devices, and the varying points of view and symbolism and even religion.

Did you read this book or are you thinking about it? What’d you think of the story and structure?

Detailed Book Summary (Spoilers)

If this summary was useful to you, please consider supporting this site by leaving a tip ( $2 , $3 , or $5 ) or joining the Patreon !

Discussion Questions

What does Hadia's decision to wear a hijab mean? What does that say about her? Why do you think it was such a difficult decision for her to make?

Layla describes to the kids the idea of sin being a stain on your heart, which gets bigger the more you sin. Do you agree or disagree with this idea of morality?

How do Hadia's small acts of rebellion -- dying a streak of her hair blue, etc. -- play into her personality?

How does the parenting of the children affect the siblings' relationships? Hadia as a child feels that they love Amar more because they give them more attention in some ways -- is her jealousy justified? Should their parents have done something differently?

Why do you think Hadia's father was disappointed that she told on Amar? What should Hadia have done?

Why does Amar ask his father to shave his beard? How do you think his father should have responded?

How does Amar's relationship with Amira compare with Hadia's relationship with Abbas? Do you think Hadia feels jealous that Amar actually did something about his feelings?

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15 comments

Share your thoughts cancel reply.

I just got this book, can’t wait to start reading it, hope it’s not too confusing though :/

Thanks for dropping by! I think I’m probably just a little OCD about wanting to understand when precisely each thing happens. I hope I don’t scare anyone off from reading this book, since it really is quite good. Happy reading!

The jumping back and forth thing might make it confusing. Not sure about this one. Maybe if I get through the pile of books I just got in the last week first!

Yeah, I think the book is probably better for readers who don’t mind taking it a little slow — like I said, I do think it’s worth the effort, and I posted a timeline here (spoiler alert: https://34.105.13.187/a-place-for-us-timeline-and-ages/ ) if you find yourself getting a little lost. So, it really depends on what type of reading mood you’re in. Thanks for dropping by though and happy reading!

Have you read books with alternating or jumping timelines that you have liked? I’m a writer trying to figure out if I’ve made a mess of a story or not. I personally don’t love the jumping back & forth but I’ve somehow managed to write a novel where I do that. 🤦🏻‍♀️🤦🏻‍♀️ I’ve been rapidly asking other readers about alternating timelines & shifting narrators.

Hi Torrie, oh definitely! I read so many with alternating timelines that work fine — I think this book sort of purposely leaves the reader confused and needing to “figure out” where they are by only indicating clearly what time frame it’s in like 2 pages into a time shift because it’s trying to enhance the feeling of a “reveal” when you figure it out, but it just ends up being really irritating. If it only happened a handful of times, it wouldn’t have been bothersome. Or, if at least the majority of the time shifts had a little more clarity earlier on then it probably wouldn’t have been a problem for me.

For example, I just posted a review of A Man Called Ove and that actually jumps back and forth in time basically throughout the whole book — but it’s always really clear within the first couple sentences of a new section what timeframe you’re in so at no point are you ending up feeling confused. Hope this helps and good luck with your book!

Sounds interesting! Will see when it’s out in the UK

Gave up on it

Sorry to hear that! To be honest, I don’t really blame you, it’s definitely a book that requires a bit of effort. If you end up giving it another shot though, I do think it ends up being a worthwhile story!

“Instead of reading a book, it was 200 pages of “Where’s Waldo” in a search for clues about the character’s ages.” Loved the review – you perfectly summed up my thoughts on the book! When I picked it up, I was excited. But soon, I found myself struggling with the book. I wouldn’t say I disliked it, in fact it was quite refreshing to read some of the sub-stories, but I think it was a little too long. The hype around the book didn’t help either.

thanks for the rewiew!

I loved this novel. It’s an immigrant story I’ve never heard before, and simultaneously a universally applicable story about finding home. At times, I was less sympathetic to Amar than I was “supposed” to be, and less offended by Rafiq. I was unbothered by the shifting timeline, liked it in fact. My one genuine criticism would be that the small betrayals don’t, to my mind, warrant the emotional devastation they wreak in the novel. Maybe if the novel were structured differently, I’d accept the deep effects? Finally, I was lucky enough to be unfettered by suspicion about celebrity endorsement because I was blithely unaware of any until I sought reviews after reading!

Your reviews are so detailed–love it! I really enjoyed this book.

thank you so much! I’m glad you liked it too! and thanks for dropping by! :)

The author suggests in one interview that the time shifts are intended to represent the fragmented way we remember things–memory isn’t really chronological. I liked her approach and didn’t find it confusing. I agree, though, that the book could have been edited for length, and I didn’t feel as affected by Amar’s situation as I think I was meant to. It’s probably my age, but I thought Layla and Rafik were the most interesting and best-written members of the family! On balance, though, this novel was worth reading, for the author’s lovely writing style, and her very real sympathy toward her characters.

clock This article was published more than 5 years ago

Sarah Jessica Parker thinks she knows what you should read. She’s right.

Celebrity imprints rank among the publishing industry’s most desperate schemes. If you liked “Edward Scissorhands” — the thinking goes — you’ll want to read books Johnny Depp has chosen to reflect his true passions. HarperCollins, Random House and Grand Central have all signed up stars to direct new imprints, hoping fans of, say, Gwyneth Paltrow or Lena Dunham will follow them into the bookstore to buy their branded titles.

At the very least, it’s a way to get books plugged on celebrities’ Twitter accounts, though I’ve seen little evidence that people choose what to read by the imprint. The whole enterprise has about as much credibility as game show hosts hawking Medigap insurance.

Which brings us to Sarah Jessica Parker, the Emmy Award-winning star of “Sex and the City.” Since that iconic TV show went off the air in 2004, Parker has made millions selling jeans, shoes, perfume and hair coloring, but now she’s going after the big bucks: book editing. “SJP for Hogarth” is the name of her new imprint in the Penguin Random House empire, and this week Parker is releasing her first book.

Sex and the City and Us

We have every reason to be skeptical. But SJP is not launching with a celebrity cookbook, a millionaire memoir or anything remotely flashy. Instead, the first book from Parker’s imprint is a work of literary fiction: a quiet novel by an unknown 26-year-old writer named Fatima Farheen Mirza.

And it is absolutely gorgeous.

Honestly, I haven’t felt this awed since I picked up a novel called “A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,” by a then-unknown young writer named Anthony Marra. Mirza writes about family life with the wisdom, insight and patience you would expect from a mature novelist adding a final masterpiece to her canon, but this is, fortunately, just the start of an extraordinary career.

“A Place for Us” opens at a wedding in Northern California. A doctor named Hadia is getting married, and her greatest joy is that her errant brother, Amar, has returned after three years of silence. The entire family feels suspended between delight and apprehension: Will Amar stay this time? Will their father control his anger at the boy — now a man? Old grievances are exhumed. Long-simmering fears flash into fresh flame. Hope too intense to contain excites each member of the family. But these roiling emotions must be managed as the wedding ceremony progresses, as food is served, as guests gossip and offer compliments. Nothing must overshadow Hadia’s special day, not even the return of a prodigal son, for which they have all prayed ceaselessly.

Mirza will revisit that wedding ceremony again and again over the next several hundred pages, but she has no concern with chronology. She wanders through the attic of this family’s memories, lighting upon old and new incidents, little betrayals and secrets scattered across their collective consciousness. We see the parents, Layla and Rafiq, decades ago, before their arranged marriage back in India. We follow Hadia to medical school. We spy a teenage Amar falling in love for the first time, with such intense delight you can’t help but recall those disruptive days and nights in your own life.

And what’s more, as we experience all these events from different points of view, they’re gradually polished into new meaning. Little Amar’s spelling test, for instance, is just one of an infinite series of moments in the child’s life — until his father and his sisters consider it later as a point of inflection. Did the boy cheat? Did he really deserve a reward for scoring well? “How were they to know the moments that would define them?” Hadia wonders. Whether that spelling test actually redirected Amar’s life can never be established, of course, but this is a novel about how families create their own history and mythology — and how those assumptions about the past haunt their relations with each other.

Has a household ever been cradled in such tender attention as this novel provides? Possibly, but in a different register. As Marilynne Robinson has done with Protestants and Alice McDermott has done with Catholics, Mirza finds in the intensity of a faithful Muslim family a universal language of love and anguish that speaks to us all.

Anthony Marra’s ‘A Constellation of Vital Phenomena,’

When Rafiq and his young bride came to the United States, they barely knew each other, but they were united in their determination to raise a faithful family. And so, in many ways, “A Place for Us” is an immigrant tale in that long line of American novels about devout parents struggling to maintain traditional mores amid a secular culture designed to tempt their children astray. But Mirza complicates that common story with a kind of palpable devotion that makes rejection of the parents’ faith unthinkable. “What a strange and archaic world,” Hadia thinks — not with derision, simply astonishment. Yes, she and her sister feel cramped by their parents’ inflexible rules; they have no intention of agreeing to arranged marriages or lives of servitude. But they hear the word of the prophet, too; they feel the same currents of faith flowing through them. The only difference is they’re determined to chart a new Western way of living as Muslims.

The open wound in this family is the youngest child, that wayward son, Amar. He’s sweet and curious, intense and undisciplined. “A young man acting like a young man would not be a problem in any other family,” Hadia thinks. But in this family, the teen’s energy grates against the strictures of Islam, and that clash inspires evermore perilous cycles of rebellion and guilt.

Part of what makes Mirza’s novel captivating is her ability to shift among perspectives so gracefully. We feel the panic of Amar’s parents as they struggle to find some effective balance between discipline and indulgence. And we feel the torment of Amar’s conviction that he doesn’t belong, that he’s not right, that he doesn’t deserve the blessing of salvation and, finally, that he’s not a Muslim. Yet the real agony, which Mirza plumbs with such heartbreaking sympathy, is Amar’s incurable longing for the balm of belief and the embrace of his devout parents.

In prose of quiet beauty and measured restraint, Mirza traces those twined strands of yearning and sorrow that faith involves. She writes with a mercy that encompasses all things. If the demands of Islam make Rafiq behave cruelly toward his only son, those same demands eventually inspire a confession of affection that is among the most poignant things I have ever read. Each time I stole away into this novel, it felt like a privilege to dwell among these people, to fall back under the gentle light of Mirza’s words.

Ron Charles is the editor of Book World and host of TotallyHipVideoBookReview.com .

A Place for Us

By Fatima Farheen Mirza

SJP for Hogarth. 383 pp. $27

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'a place for us' is a skillfully-drawn family saga.

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A Place for Us

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A Place for Us , the debut novel by author Fatima Farheen Mirza, opens with a kind of homecoming. Amar, the youngest child of an Indian American Muslim family, has returned after a three-year absence to attend his oldest sister Hadia's wedding. Layla, the young man's mother, has been looking forward to finally seeing her son, but is worried about how Amar's father, Rafiq, will react: "The only men she had left in this world to love and neither of them knew how to be with one another."

Mirza's book gets to a universal truth: To be part of a family is to learn how to be more than one person, how to remain an individual while fulfilling the duties we have to those who love us, who made us. It is almost never easy; it is sometimes, in fact, impossible. A Place for Us is a stunning novel about love, compassion, cruelty and forgiveness — the very things that make families what they are.

A Place for Us follows Amar and his sisters, Hadia and Huda, as they grow up in northern California. Their family is, at its best, a happy one, although Rafiq is a strict father who sometimes lets his temper get the best of him. The siblings have a tight bond, keeping secrets from their parents for one another, watching each other's backs, performing small acts of kindness when they can.

The family is a middle-class one, comfortable but not ostentatious, in contrast to the wealthy, well-known Ali family, with whom they're friendly. Hadia nurses a crush on Abbas Ali, the handsome and popular eldest son of the family. Amar, meanwhile, is fully in love with Abbas' sister, Amira: "Amira because of how she thought. ... Amira because no room was lit until she entered it. Amira because if it would not be Amira, it would be no one."

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Amar and Amira embark on a secret romance; both know that her family wouldn't approve of her dating Amar, a poor student with little hope for a future as a successful professional. Their relationship is eventually found out and quashed, and a depressed Amar reacts by hanging out with a troubled crowd, eventually picking up some habits that threaten to derail his life.

It's no surprise that Mirza's novel contains a Romeo and Juliet -type storyline; the book's title, after all, seems to be a reference to the song "Somewhere" from West Side Story . It's risky for a writer to tackle young, doomed love — the topic lends itself easily to cliché. But Mirza does a brilliant job avoiding that; the story is deeply felt but never mawkish or sentimental.

Mirza's characters are beautifully drawn, and she has an extraordinary understanding of how people interact with another in both their best and worst moments. The relationship between Rafiq and Amar, in particular, feels very true to life; the father and son have opportunities to connect that almost always seem to end in near misses. In the book's heartbreaking final section, told in the second person from Rafiq to his son, he reflects, "You were stubborn in your sadness. You would enter it and not leave. And instead of softening, I hardened in my approach."

The structure of A Place for Us is unconventional; the novel goes back and forth in time, switching points of view. This isn't the easiest thing to pull off, but Mirza executes it perfectly, creating a constant tension in the narrative that keeps readers turning the pages, but is never cheap or exploitative. And her writing is gorgeous, unadorned but beautiful, and thankfully devoid of the self-conscious too-clever tricks that sometimes plague young authors. The dialogue in the novel is impressively naturalistic; she knows how people actually speak to one another, and realizes that sometimes what isn't said is just as important as what is.

It can be difficult to write about families; it's a well-worn topic in fiction, and after readers have waded through dozens of books that are essentially catalogs of grudges and resentments, they can be forgiven for being wary of another novel that focuses on domestic life. But it would be a shame for anyone to miss this miracle of a book. A Place for Us is a major accomplishment, a work of real beauty and fierce originality. Mirza, 27, writes with more grace and self-confidence than many authors who have been publishing before she was born, and it's going to be fascinating to see what she does next.

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BookBrowse Reviews A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

A Place for Us

by Fatima Farheen Mirza

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A stunning debut novel in which an Indian Muslim family in the United States confronts cultural and generational issues.

A whopping 62 out of 66 of our First Impression reviewers gave A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza a four- or five-star rating – for an overall average of 4.7 stars. What it's about A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is the story of one immigrant family trying to find a place in American society. Timely in its subject-matter and exquisitely written, the novel contains universal themes while highlighting the immigrant experience unique to Muslims (Sara L). The story opens with the wedding of the family's oldest daughter Hadia to Tariq, a modern marriage of love rather than the traditional arranged marriage. On her daughter's wedding day, mother Layla thinks back to the early days of her arranged marriage with husband Rafiq, an orphan who moved to America on his own, got a job, and established a good life for the two of them. Their three US-born children struggle with following their parents' religious and cultural practices, but the youngest, Amar, finds it especially challenging. He spends his entire life trying to find where he fits in and never truly feels that he belongs anywhere. Throughout the book Layla reflects back upon the lives of her children as they grew into adults and upon the stages of her own marriage (Betty T). This portrait of an Indian-American Muslim family, each struggling to reconcile personal choices with faith, clashing cultures, gender roles, family dynamics, and the world after 9/11, is at once engrossing, thought-provoking, heart-breaking and uplifting (Janice P). Members remarked on the wide range of subjects explored by the author The book encompasses such ancient themes as generational divides, father-son estrangement, patriarchal family culture and heartbreaking betrayals and misunderstandings (Ginny B). It also touches on sibling and parental relationships, gender, birth order, secrets revealed and withheld, guilt and adherence to religious restrictions (Beth B). Readers felt the book was exceptional A Place for Us is an amazing debut on many levels. It ticks off all the expected boxes for good fiction: it is well-written, plotted and paced and it's peopled with finely realized characters who speak with clarity and honesty. Perhaps most exciting of all is the discovery that an author so young could produce such a sure-handed, richly layered observation of the complex human condition in all its inherent beauty - and disappointments (Darra W). It is truly a beautifully written book that was a pleasure to read (Elizabeth V). The character development was a highlight This is a book where you really connect with and care about the characters (Beth M). They're so compelling and rich that they pull you along through a deep and complicated family history (Catherin O). I felt such empathy for them, they were fully realized and fleshed out (Cheryl S). Many readers found it informative about Muslim culture I was not very familiar with the culture and religion of the family portrayed in the book but I enjoyed learning more (Susan B). The parents' devout faith and their bonds within their religious community play a strong part in the story and may serve to educate some readers regarding Islam as a faith and the difficulties of raising children to be observant, particularly in this current age of intolerance and ignorance (Ginny B). I gained a tremendous amount of insight into Muslim customs and family life, but I also saw how divisive it can be trying to maintain a closed society in the midst of 21st century USA. According to your perspective the first generation born here becomes either a bridge to a different world or an ax dividing families and communities (Linda W). The book's themes, however, are universal The thing that impressed me most about the book is that it is the story about a family facing the problems that many of us have faced as our children form beliefs of their own which sometimes are at odds with the values and traditions that we, their parents, hold very close to our hearts. The author wrote this book about a Muslim family, but the book could have been about a Christian, Jewish, Buddhist or Mormon family (Virginia M). Many parts of the story resonated with me as a parent and sibling (DeAnn A). The more I read the more I was struck by how similar we all are (Barbara O). A few complained about the narrative format and pacing I was a little frustrated with the alternating flashback-present tense format. Sometimes the flashbacks went back to a younger age than the previous flashback, and I found myself underlining ages or grades in school to try and keep it straight (Rebecca R). The author's prose is littered with descriptive sentences that provide a vivid image but may or may not be germane to the action. Mirza also spends much time inside the head of her characters, switching people and time periods with little warning. These methods drag down an already slow-moving novel to a snail's pace (Patricia L). A Place for Us is recommended to a wide audience I am so grateful this book came into my hands, it was a wonderful reading experience and I highly recommend it to all readers (Cheryl S). This is one of the best books that I have read in years. I'm pretty stingy with my stars but I would give this book six stars if I could (Joan P). It would be an excellent book club choice as it wrestles with cultural clashes, family dynamics and individual choices (Linda W).

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A Place for Us: A Novel Hardcover – June 12, 2018

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Print length 400 pages
Language English
Publisher SJP for Hogarth
Publication date June 12, 2018
Dimensions 6.48 x 1.22 x 9.52 inches
ISBN-10 1524763551
ISBN-13 978-1524763558
Lexile measure 930L
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What's it about, amazon editors say....

Mirza mines sensitive territory with aplomb, engendering empathy for flawed, but well-meaning, characters.

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As Amar watched the hall fill with guests arriving for his sister’s wedding, he promised himself he would stay. It was his duty tonight to greet them. A simple task, one he told himself he could do well, and he took pride in stepping forward to shake the hands of the men or hold his hand over his heart to pay the women respect. He hadn’t expected his smile to mirror those who seemed happy to see him. Nor had he anticipated the startling comfort in the familiarity of their faces. It had really been three years. Had it not been for his sister’s call, he might have allowed years more to pass before mustering the courage it took to return.

He touched his tie to make sure it was centered. He smoothed down his hair, as if a stray strand would be enough to call attention, give him away. An old family friend called out his name and hugged him. What would he tell them if they asked where he had been, and how he was doing? The sounds of the shenai started up to signal the commencement of Hadia’s wedding. Suddenly the hall was brought to life and there, beneath the golden glow of the chandeliers and surrounded by the bright colors of the women’s dresses, Amar thought maybe he had been right to come. He could convince them all—the familiar faces, his mother who he sensed checking on him as she moved about, his father who maintained his distance—he could even convince himself, that he belonged here, that he could wear the suit and play the part, be who he had been before, assume his role tonight as brother of the bride. ***

It had been Hadia’s decision to invite him. She watched her sister Huda get ready and hoped it had not been a mistake. That morning Hadia had woken with her brother on her mind and all day she willed herself to think as other brides must—that she would be using the word husband when speaking of Tariq now, that after years of wondering if they would make it to this moment, they had arrived. What she had not even dared to believe possible for her was coming true: marrying a man she had chosen for herself.

Amar had come as she had hoped. But when she was shocked at the sight of him she realized she never actually believed he would. Three years had passed with no news from him. On the day she told her parents she would invite him she had not allowed herself to pray, Please God, have him come, but only, Please God, let my father not deny me this. She had practiced her words until her delivery was so steady and confident any onlooker would think she was a woman who effortlessly declared her wishes.

Huda finished applying her lipstick and was fastening the pin of her silver hijab. She looked beautiful, dressed in a navy sari stitched with silver beadwork, the same sari that a handful of Hadia’s closest friends would be wearing. There was an excitement about her sister that Hadia could not muster for herself.

“Will you keep an eye on him tonight?” Hadia asked.

Huda held her arm up to slip rows of silver bangles over her wrist, each one falling with a click. She turned from the mirror to face Hadia.

“Why did you call him if you didn’t want him to come?”

Hadia studied her hands, covered in dark henna. She pressed her fingernails into her arm. “It’s my wedding day.”

An obvious statement, but it was true. It did not matter if she had not heard from her brother in years, she could not imagine this day without him. But relief at the sight of Amar brought with it that old shadow of worry for him.

“Will you call him here?” Hadia said. “And when he comes, will you give us a moment alone?”

She returned Huda’s gaze then. And though Huda looked briefly hurt, she didn’t ask Hadia to share what she was, and always had been, excluded from. *** As she glided between guests and stopped to hug women she had not yet greeted, it occurred to Layla that this was what she might have pictured her life to look like once, when her children were young and she knew who her family would contain but not what life would be like for them. She walked with a straight back and careful smile and felt this event was hers as much as it was her daughter’s. And Amar was nearby. She looked to him between conversations, tracked his movement across the hall, checked his face for any discomfort.

The wedding was coming together wonderfully. People were arriving on time. There was a table for mango juice and pineapple juice and another for appetizers, replenished as soon as the items were lifted from the platter. White orchids spilled from tall glass vases on every table. Little golden pouches of gifts waited on each seat for guests to claim. Huda had helped Layla make them and they had stayed awake late in the night, singing a little as they filled each one with almonds and various chocolates, tugging the golden string to seal them. The hall was grand—she had chosen it with Hadia months ago—and as she walked beneath its arches into the main hall she was pleased with her decision. It had been dimmer when they first saw it, but now it looked like the set of a movie, high ceilings and every chandelier twinkling so bright they seemed to compete with one another to illuminate the room. Men looked sharp in their dark suits and sherwanis, women dressed so that every shade of color was represented, light reflecting off of their beadwork and threadwork. Layla wished her parents had been alive to see it. How proud they would be, how happy to attend the wedding of their first grandchild. But tonight even their absence could not dull all she had to be grateful for, and beneath her breath she continued to repeat, God is Great. God is Great, and all thanks are to Him.

Just an hour earlier she had helped Hadia into the heavy kharra dupatta, whispered prayers as she clasped safety pins in place. Hadia had not spoken as Layla moved about her, only thanked her once, quietly. She was nervous, as any bride would be, as Layla herself had been years ago. Layla adjusted the outfit’s pleats, hooked a teekah into Hadia’s hair, and stepped back to take in the sight of her daughter. All her intricate henna. Her jewelry catching light. The swoop of dark hair that peeked beneath her dupatta, that particular and deep red.

Now she searched the crowd for her son. It felt unfathomable that just days ago she still had trouble sleeping when the darkness called forth her unsettling fears. In the daylight she could reassure herself that it was enough to see her son’s face in the photographs she saved, hear his voice in the family videos she watched—Amar on a field trip she had chaperoned, his excitement when the zookeeper lifted up a yellow python, how his hand was the first to shoot into the air, asking to touch it. It was enough so long as she knew he was still out there, heart beating, mind moving in the way she never understood.

This morning she had woken to a home complete. Before her children could rise she took out sadqa money for them, extra because it was a momentous day, then more, to protect from any comment about her son’s return in a tone that could threaten its undoing. She drove to a grocery store and stocked the fridge with food Amar enjoyed: green apples and cherries, pistachio ice cream with almonds, cookies with the white cream center. All the snacks she once scolded him for. Was she cruel to feel more happiness, greater relief, at his return, than for her daughter on the day he had come back for? Before Rafiq left to oversee arrangements in the hall—the tables brought in, golden bows tied to the chairs, the setting of the stage where Hadia and Tariq would sit—Layla climbed the stairs to their bedroom, where he was getting ready.

“ Suno, ” she said, “will you listen? Can you not say anything that will anger or upset him?

She always found ways to speak around her husband’s name. First it was out of shyness and then it was out of custom and a deep respect for him, and now it would be unnatural; she felt obliged to avoid his name out of habit. He paused buttoning his shirt and looked at her. It was her right. She had not interfered with his decisions for so long. She pressed on, “Please, for me, can you stay away from him tonight? We can speak tomorrow, but let us have this day.”

The previous night, when Amar first arrived, the two of them had been amicable. Rafiq had said salaam before Layla took over and guided Amar to his bedroom, heated him a plate of dinner.

For a moment, she wondered if she had hurt Rafiq. Carefully he clasped the button at each wrist.

“I will not go near him, Layla,” he said finally, dropping his arms to his sides.

*** When he met his father’s eyes from across the crowded hall, Amar understood that an agreement had been made between them: they knew who they were there for, and why they would not approach one another beyond the expected salaam. Amar looked away first. He still felt it. His anger, and the distance it caused. It was as if something had clenched in him and could not now be loosened.

Amar had played a game during the first few conversations when asked what he had been doing lately. A painter, he said to one guest, of sunsets and landscapes. The look on their faces amused him. To another uncle he said engineer but was annoyed by how it impressed him. Once he said he was pursuing an interest in ornithology. When the man blinked back at him he explained. Birds, I would like to study birds. Now he spoke without embellishment. He excused himself from conversations shortly after they began.

He stepped out beneath the arched doorway, past the children playing, past the elevators, until the shenai quieted. He had forgot- ten what it was like to move through a crowd feeling like a hypocrite, aware of the scrutinizing gaze, of his father expecting Amar to embarrass him, anticipating the lie he would tell before he even spoke. He walked until he found himself standing before the bar on the other side of the hotel. Of course, no one invited to Hadia’s wedding would dare come here. The sound of the shenai was so far away he could catch it only if he strained to hear. He took a seat beside two strangers. Even that felt like a betrayal. But taking a seat was not the same as ordering a drink. He leaned forward until he could rest his elbows on the counter, lowered his face into his hands and sighed.

He could hardly believe that, just the night before, he had managed to walk up to the door of his childhood home and knock. What had surprised him was how little had changed—the same tint of paint at nighttime, the same screen missing from his old window on the second floor. There were no lights on. Wide windows, curtains drawn, nobody home. Nobody would know if he decided to step back into the street. It was a comforting thought—that he would not have to face his father or see how his absence had impacted his mother. The moon was almost full in the sky and as he had when he was a child, he looked first for the face his schoolteacher had said he could find there, then for the name in Arabic his mother always pointed out proudly. Finding them both, he almost smiled.

He might have walked away were it not for a light turning on in Hadia’s room. It glowed teal behind the curtain and the sight of it was enough to make his chest lurch. She was home. He had made his life one that did not allow him to see or speak to his sister, to even know she was getting married until she had called him a month earlier, asking him to attend. He had been so startled he didn’t pick up. But he listened to her voicemail until he had memorized the details, felt sure some nights he would return and on other nights knew no good would come of it. Her lit window and his own dark beside it. One summer they had pushed out their screens and connected their rooms by a string attached to Styrofoam cups at each end. Hadia assured him she knew what she was doing. She had made one in school. He wasn’t sure if he could hear her voice humming along the string and filling the cup, or carried through the air, but he didn’t tell her this. They pretended a war was coming to their neighborhood. This was Hadia’s idea—she had always been brilliant at thinking up games.

They were in an observation tower making sure nothing was amiss. Blue bird on branch, Amar said, looking out the window before crouching down again, over. Mailman driving down the street, Hadia said, lots of letters, over.

That night their father had been furious to find the screens dis- carded on the driveway, one of them bent from the fall. The three of them were made to stand in a line. Hadia, the eldest, then Huda, then Amar, the youngest, hiding a little behind them both.

“You instigated this?” his father said, looking only at him.

It was true. It had been his idea to push out the screens. Hadia stared at the floor. Huda nodded. Hadia glanced at her but said nothing.

His father said to his sisters, “I expected better from you two.”

Amar had sulked to his bedroom, closed his open window, sunk onto his cold sheets. Nothing was expected from him. And though Hadia never pushed her screen out again, he had, every few years, until his father gave up on repairing it entirely.

“Have you changed your mind?” the bartender asked him.

Amar looked up and shook his head. It wouldn’t have been so bad to say yes. It might have even been better for him and everyone else. A drink would calm his nerves, and maybe he could enjoy the colors and the appetizers and the sorrowful shenai. But he had come home for his mother’s sake, his sister’s sake, and this night was the only one asked of him.

His phone buzzed. It was Huda: Hadia is asking for you, room 310. All day he had feared his sister might have only called him out of obligation, and suspected that maybe it was that same sense of duty that had brought him back. Now something swelled up in him, not quite excitement or happiness, but a kind of hope. He stood and stepped back toward the music. His sister, surrounded by close friends and family, was asking for him.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ SJP for Hogarth; First Edition (June 12, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 400 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1524763551
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1524763558
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 930L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.52 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.48 x 1.22 x 9.52 inches
#1,708 in Cultural Heritage Fiction
#7,431 in Family Life Fiction (Books)
#23,319 in Literary Fiction (Books)

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About the author

Fatima farheen mirza.

Fatima Farheen Mirza was born in 1991 and raised in California. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop and a recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship.

Photo Credit: Gregg Richards

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The Literary Edit

Review: A Place For Us – Fatima Farheen Mirza

I first discovered that Sarah Jessica Parker was bringing out her own publishing imprint – SJP for Hogarth – while I was living in LA last year. Like many of my peers, I grew up glued to the screen every time Sex and the City was on TV, and have spent an unimaginable amount of hours in the years that have since passed watching reruns, and so it was with an overwhelming degree of excitement that I found out that SJP was soon to be acquiring and curating works of fiction that would resonate with her own taste as a reader. When discussing the inspiration behind SJP for Hogarths, she said: ‘I have always loved to read for the same reason I love to act, which is that other people’s stories are more interesting to me than my own.’

It was only in recent weeks, however, that a buzz would begin to circle around the first book published by Sarah Jessica Parker’s new imprint for Hogarth – A Place For Us, by Fatima Farheen Mirza – and so I spent the best part of last weekend trying to get my hands on a copy ahead of its release on June 12th.

The story follows the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family and begins to unfold on the eve of the Californian wedding of Hadia, eldest daughter of Rafiq and Layla and sister to Huda and Amar, A significant night for each member of the family, it is the first time in three years that Amar has been reunited with his family after a series of betrayals that led to his estrangement.

At surface level, A Place For Us is a seemingly innocuous family epic about a Muslim immigrant family who seek over decades to harmonize their Eastern principles with those of 21st-century suburban America. But on this narrative framework hangs something both intricate and hugely relevant to the society in which we now live: a stunning examination of racism, of religion, of culture, of betrayal and of boundless familial love.

A Place for Us takes place over a number of decades, and brilliantly interweaves a series of moments from the past and present that lead to Amar’s estrangement. We learn of the bonds that draw the family together; and the strains that tear them apart; we witness sibling rivalry and jealousy; the limitless love they each have for the other, and the split-second decisions they make that will have devastating consequences and a life-long effect that will test the strength of the family dynamics. And within the pages of the book we find a stunning narrative of Amar, a young Muslim man in suburban America and his coming of age as he attempts to find his place in the world.

A Place For Us is a brave and beautiful read, with a pacy plot and rich and poetic prose throughout. While the entire book flows flawlessly, I found my heart quickening for the final hundred pages, as I found myself racing through the last quarter of this poignant tale, while simultaneously wanting to savour every last word and every last page. It’s impossible to read Mirza’s debut without being deeply affected by the story that lies therein, and it will stay with readers the world over long after they’ve reached it’s touching finale.

Buy A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza on Amazon.

About A Place For Us

A Place for Us unfolds the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family, gathered together in their Californian hometown to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia’s, wedding–a match of love rather than tradition. It is here, on this momentous day, that Amar, the youngest of the siblings, reunites with his family for the first time in three years. Rafiq and Layla must now contend with the choices and betrayals that lead to their son’s estrangement–the reckoning of parents who strove to pass on their cultures and traditions to their children, and of children who in turn struggle to balance authenticity in themselves with loyalty to the home they came from.

In a narrative that spans decades and sees family life through the eyes of each member, A Place For Us charts the crucial moments in the family’s past, from the bonds that bring them together to the differences that pull them apart. And as siblings Hadia, Huda, and Amar attempt to carve out a life for themselves, they must reconcile their present culture with their parent’s faith, to tread a path between the old world and the new, and learn how the smallest decisions can lead to the deepest of betrayals.

A deeply affecting and resonant story, A Place for Us is truly a book for our times: a moving portrait of what it means to be an American family today, a novel of love, identity and belonging that eloquently examines what it means to be both American and Muslim-and announces Fatima Farheen Mirza as a major new literary talent

About Fatima Farheen Mirza

Fatima Farheen Mirza was born in California in 1991 and raised there. Her parents are of Indian descent; her mother grew up in Birmingham, her father in Hyderabad. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, where she was a Teaching-Writing Fellow. A Place For Us is her first novel.

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4 comments on “Review: A Place For Us – Fatima Farheen Mirza”

I’ve not heard of this book but I’m looking forward to reading it! I love reading books by BAME writers especially when they’re so relevant to the current polite climate. Great review

Hey there – thanks so much for stopping by! I absolutely adored it so I hope you do too – it really is a beautiful book. And I love reading books by BAME authors too so do let me know if you have any recommendations! xo

I am super excited about the book. I only read ten pages and I was sold. I am hoping to keep aside a whole weekend and indulge in this debut

That sounds like a heavenly weekend, Resh! Looking forward to hearing your thoughts once you’ve read it xo

A Place for Us (Mirza)

A Place for Us Fatima Farheen Mirza, 2018 Crown/Archetype 400 pp. ISBN-13: 9781524763558 Summary A deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity and belonging A Place for Us unfolds the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family, gathered together in their Californian hometown to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia’s, wedding—a match of love rather than tradition. It is here, on this momentous day, that Amar, the youngest of the siblings, reunites with his family for the first time in three years. Rafiq and Layla must now contend with the choices and betrayals that lead to their son’s estrangement—the reckoning of parents who strove to pass on their cultures and traditions to their children; and of children who in turn struggle to balance authenticity in themselves with loyalty to the home they came from. In a narrative that spans decades and sees family life through the eyes of each member, A Place For Us charts the crucial moments in the family's past, from the bonds that bring them together to the differences that pull them apart. And as siblings Hadia, Huda, and Amar attempt to carve out a life for themselves, they must reconcile their present culture with their parent's faith, to tread a path between the old world and the new, and learn how the smallest decisions can lead to the deepest of betrayals. A deeply affecting and resonant story, A Place for Us is truly a book for our times: a moving portrait of what it means to be an American family today, a novel of love, identity and belonging that eloquently examines what it means to be both American and Muslim—and announces Fatima Farheen Mirza as a major new literary talent. ( From the publisher .)

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Review: A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is a heavy and thought-provoking read. The writing is excellent and there are many layers to this epic read.

I’ve always been a fast reader. But some books really do require me to slow down a bit, as is the case with A Place for Us . Instead of trying to finish this read in one-or-two days, I stretched it across several days. It’s not just the length, which is almost at 400 pages, but there is so much going on emotionally in this one.

The story starts off at an Indian wedding. We meet the parents of the bride, Rafiq and Layla, who are very traditional and religious. Both came to the U.S. from India and have raised their children in Northern California. But they weren’t prepared for how different the two cultures are and the impact on their children. The children include Hadia: the headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride. As we read the novel, we learn why Amar is estranged. To read more about the synopsis, click here .

Unique narrative

The story is told from multi-perspectives and jumps back and forth between several different time periods. It’s split into four parts that are all connected. In part one, we’re introduced to the characters at the wedding and learn Amar is estranged. In part two, we go back to Layla’s arrival to the U.S. and raising the children. Part three is back at the wedding, where much happens, and part four jumps forward in time. The author gives plenty of framework for why each child turned out the way they have. Personally, I felt that part II could have been shorter. The information we learn in it is very relevant but there are areas that could have been reduced.

Tradition and culture

In a sense, the reader is observing very private moments in this family’s life. I felt the family dynamic was very realistic, with all its hardships but still full of love. This one is especially interesting as it focuses on a Muslim American family, something that’s not featured often in fiction or on film. For that alone, I believe this is an important read.

This family, like so many others, struggle with tradition and culture. Rafiq and Layla want their children to have opportunity and education but won’t budge on what they see are important, traditional values. But as daughters and sons oftentimes do, the kids are independent thinkers and don’t always agree with tradition. Or, in Amar’s case, actively rebel against it.

It becomes the question of if tradition tears a family apart, what purpose is it really serving? I truly felt for the kids, especially Amar. While he’s very flawed, he’s so misunderstood. His storyline tugged at my heartstrings several different times.

Beyond religion, there’s also the subject of arranged marriages, which is not out of love but necessity and understanding between two families. This is becomes a huge plot point for both Amar and Hadia.

A Place for Us is very insightful and moving. Tradition, culture, love, family, freedom, faith and betrayal: this covers all the different layers of a family.

A Place For Us – Book Review

Title: A Place For Us Author: Fatima Farheen Mirza Pages: 377 Publication Day: June 12th, 2018 Publisher: SJP for Hogarth Format: e-ARC

A Place for Us unfolds the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family, gathered together in their Californian hometown to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia’s, wedding – a match of love rather than tradition. It is here, on this momentous day, that Amar, the youngest of the siblings, reunites with his family for the first time in three years. Rafiq and Layla must now contend with the choices and betrayals that lead to their son’s estrangement – the reckoning of parents who strove to pass on their cultures and traditions to their children; and of children who in turn struggle to balance authenticity in themselves with loyalty to the home they came from.

A deeply affecting and resonant story, A Place for Us is truly a book for our times: a moving portrait of what it means to be an American family today, a novel of love, identity and belonging that eloquently examines what it means to be both American and Muslim — and announces Fatima Farheen Mirza as a major new literary talent.

Booktimistic Star Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is a complex, intense and layered family drama full of emotional conflicts, everyday struggles and simple joys. An endearing and heartfelt saga that spans decades, it is bound to leave a mark on its readers.

The story revolves around an Indian-American Muslim family trying to embrace their life in America along with preserving their culture, faith and traditions.

You see, as an Indian Muslim living in the US for almost a decade now, and having faced some very similar struggles, my expectations of this book were set high when I read the blurb. I was curious as to how Fatima Farheen Mirza would portray those tiny battles, little conflicts and emotional dilemmas we go through on a daily basis. Would she be able to paint a picture that is close to reality? Will it be possible for her to spin a story and create characters that every reader would be able to relate to at some point? And most importantly will the story manage to stay with its readers? I needn’t have worried about any of these because Mirza surely knows what she is doing, her storytelling is flawless.

With carefully constructed characters and a simple yet stunning prose, that at times feels almost poetic the author has woven a slow burning tale of love and heartbreak, faith and identity and of trying to fit in without having to let go of one’s customs in a world where cultures collide.

It all begins with the wedding of Rafiq and Layla’s eldest daughter Hadia. The younger sister Huda is helping the bride get ready, the parents are busy checking and rechecking the arrangements, but underneath all the celebratory hum is a quiet anguish. The wayward youngest son Amar has returned home for his sister’s wedding. The son that ran away from home several years earlier is back and yet no one in the family has asked him anything. They are all just savoring his presence. What happened?

The story gradually unfurls, by us getting glimpses into the memories of Hadia, Layla and Amar, as they reflect on the time that passed, major decisions, life’s milestones, tiny stolen moments that finally led to this present day. These non-linear memories , these multitude of emotions, decisions, failures, regrets and the many intricacies of life is what makes up this story.

Worth mentioning is the last few chapters which contains Rafiq’s point of view and is possibly the most heart-wrenching portion of the book. To get to peek inside the heart of an extremely strict and seemingly unbendable father was certainly not what one would expect. These last few pages are profound and intimate that would certainly break your heart. And so will the ending.

A complex, diverse and character-oriented family saga, A Place for Us is a poignant story that will not disappoint. In every way a gem of a debut and highly recommended.

Disclaimer: An e-ARC provided by Crown Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Social Creature – Book Review

The paris wife – book review, you may also like, our souls at night – book review, the printed letter bookshop – book review, how the light gets in – book review, golden child – book review, in five years – book review, you were always mine – book review, if i had your face – book review, what you wish for – book review, someday someday, maybe – book review.

This sounds lovely!! I’ll have to check it out!

I highly recommend this if you enjoy contemporaries!

Excellent review! I’m looking forward to reading this!

Thank you! I hope you enjoy it 🙂

Great review, Fareya 🙂

Thank you so much Evelina 🙂

A Place for Us

35 pages • 1 hour read

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Part 2, Sections 1-9

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Part 4, Sections 1-4

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Summary and Study Guide

Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A Place for Us debuted in 2018. The novel, an instant New York Times best seller, was lauded as one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post , NPR , and more. It’s notable for its extensive use of flashbacks and shifting perspective , which moves between third and first person.

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The novel begins when Amar , a young man estranged from his traditional Indian Muslim family, comes home for his sister Hadia’s wedding. There is tension in Amar’s interactions with the other guests, as he has not seen them in years. While Amar’s mother, Layla , is glad he is there, his father, Rafiq , is subdued; meanwhile, Amar and Hadia’s middle sister, Huda , seems peripheral to the drama.

Perhaps to raise her brother’s spirits, Hadia asserts that she and her brother share common ground. Because Hadia chose her betrothed, Tariq , rather than accept an arranged marriage, she has let their parents down as much as Amar has. During the festivities, Amar reconnects with a young woman named Amira . They have feelings for each other even after years apart, or at the very least share an intense emotional bond. Of all the guests present, Amira and Hadia are who Amar connects with most.

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The narrative flashes back to when Amar’s parents were newly married and traveled to America. The oldest and youngest of their three children, Hadia and Amar, are opposites. Where Hadia is an excellent student, Amar does poorly in school. Hadia’s crush, a boy named Abbas , befriends Amar, accepting him unconditionally. Young Amar and Hadia are incredibly close as siblings, often confiding in each other. However, Hadia grows bitter toward her brother because even Amar’s smallest accomplishments receive praise that eclipses her achievements.

Their teenage years grow fraught with the strain of hidden relationships. Abbas’s unexpected death in a car accident affects both siblings deeply. Amar becomes involved with Abbas’s younger sister, Amira, meeting her often in secret. Calamity befalls the family thereafter, as they suffer verbal abuse and ostracism after 9/11. Amar’s relationship with Amira ends when Amira’s mother finds out about it.

While Hadia’s life improves dramatically during medical school, complications arise when her parents ask her to come home. Amar has slid into depression, having succumbed to alcohol and substance abuse. Her return and the subsequent intervention attempt go poorly, as Rafiq starts a fight between himself, Hadia, and Amar. Amar pushes their father into a picture frame, which shatters. Amar leaves home that night.

In the present, Amar gets to know Tariq, his sister’s fiancé, at the wedding. The two young men get along well in their brief encounter, not unlike how Amar once got along with Abbas. Amar and Amira have a private heart-to-heart where Amira says she loved him deeply when they were young; Amar learns that his mother was to blame for their breakup. As a result, Amar starts a fight with his mother, heartbroken that his sister was permitted to choose her own partner whereas he was not permitted to remain with Amira. He does not give Layla a chance to explain; he leaves her and finds comfort in alcohol instead of seeking resolution. Rafiq comes across his intoxicated son and agrees when Amar says he is too drunk to be included in the family photograph. Although Rafiq tells his son that they will surely reconcile in the next life and that he will wait for him, Rafiq returns to the hall for the family photograph and tells Layla that he could not find Amar anywhere.

A decade later, Rafiq is diagnosed with a brain tumor and hospitalized where Hadia works as a doctor. After successful surgery, Rafiq is sent home, and he spends as much time as he can with his grandchildren. After learning that his grandson Abbas occasionally gets phone calls from someone Hadia suspects is Amar, Rafiq asks Abbas to memorize and deliver a message. Rafiq’s message to Amar is that he believes there is another way for them, that they may yet repair their relationship—and that even if they don’t meet again until the next life, Rafiq will always wait for him.

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A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, Review: Accepting imperfection

A Place For Us Book Review - Fatima Mirza

A Place for Us Synopsis :

As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made.

There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And lastly, their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride.

What secrets and betrayals have caused this close-knit family to fracture? Can Amar find his way back to the people who know and love him best?

A Place for Us takes us back to the beginning of this family’s life: from the bonds that bring them together, to the differences that pull them apart. All the joy and struggle of family life is here, from Rafiq and Layla’s own arrival in America from India, to the years in which their children — each in their own way — tread between two cultures, seeking to find their place in the world, as well as a path home.

A Place for Us is a book for our times: an astonishingly tender-hearted novel of identity and belonging, and a resonant portrait of what it means to be an American family today. It announces Fatima Farheen Mirza as a major new literary talent.

( SJP for Hogarth , June 2018)

Disclosure: If you click a link in this post we may earn a small commission to help offset our running costs.

BOOK REVIEW

I am normally wary of hyped debut novels, but with comparisons made to Anthony Marra’s outstanding A Constellation of Vital Phenomena , I was eager to read Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A Place for Us .

Unlike many reviewers, I was not immediately absorbed by Mirza’s family narrative. The prose itself was strikingly assured for a debut novelist but I struggled to truly engage with the characters, my personal feelings about the entrenched cultural-religious gender bias impacting their lives getting in the way.

The boys have the first few rows reserved, so that the order of the classroom may be maintained, so they cannot look at the backs of the girls in their desks and get distracted. Girls are not like boys, they are told, girls have control over their desires. It is up to the girls to do what they can to protect the boys from sin.

Many of the characters’ behaviours/actions are frustrating to an outside observer also. But to Mirza’s credit, her attention to detail and absence of sentimentality in the presentation of the different character viewpoints soon had me seeing past those differences. It is with the nuances of behaviour explored, the family dynamics, and the gravity and impact of what is often left unsaid that I engaged.

Would you believe me if I told you I hated myself more in those moments than I imagined you hated me? My pride bothered me. It was my own self I had to overcome: I could not even go to you, say to you that I was sorry, that I had overreacted.

While I cannot speak to the veracity of the cultural and religious norms portrayed, A Place for Us felt authentic and really personalised the ongoing impact of 9-11 and xenophobia more generally. What I found most moving was the characters’ acknowledgement of, and ultimately acceptance of, the imperfection in themselves and those they loved most.

A Place for Us does not proclaim to have all the answers, but what resonates strongly is that if each and every one of us broadened our thinking just a little we might find ourselves closer to them.

BOOK RATING: The Story 4 / 5 ; The Writing 4 / 5

Get your copy of A Place for Us from:

Genre: Drama, Literature

* Be sure to check out the other tour stops on this TLC Book Tour !

Source: Crown Publishing Group

This review counts towards my participation in the New Release Challenge 2018 .

About the Author, Fatima Farheen Mirza

FATIMA FARHEEN MIRZA was born in 1991 and raised in California. She is a graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and a recipient of the Michener-Copernicus Fellowship.

Check out Fatima’s website and connect with her on Twitter
The US-born novelist on being published by the Sex and the City actor, taking off the hijab and taking up boxing, her Q&A with The Guardian

* My receiving a copy of A Place for Us from the publisher via NetGalley for review purposes did not impact the expression of my honest opinions in the review above.

A booklover with diverse reading interests, who has been reviewing books and sharing her views and opinions on this website and others since 2009.

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American Spirit / Book Review
Guest Book Review: “No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun”

by Charlie Dunlap, J.D. · 5 June 2024

Need to read something inspiring and meaningful? If so, today’s, post is for you. Lawfire ® contributor Bill Knightly reviews a new book, John Stansifer’s “No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun” about an authentic hero, Army Captain (Chaplain) Emil Kapaun.

The citation for Father Kapaun’s Medal of Honor describes some of the highlights of his “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty,” but Stansifer’s volume has far more detail about Fr. Kapaun’s selfless acts of courage — they are simply eye-watering.

Bill gives us a great intro into a wonderful story about the kind of truly exceptional person the world sees too rarely today. As he puts it in his review:

John Stansifer has written a modest book about an unheralded man who embodied what it meant to live in the selfless service of others. In a time when American society celebrates showboating athletes, self-aggrandizing social media personalities and embraces inflated celebrity egos it’s refreshing to read about such a well lived and purposeful life.

Here’s Bill’s report:

No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun, by John Stansifer

Reviewed by Bill Knightly

The Korean War is often called the “Forgotten War.” The brutal conflict of the early 1950s lingers in the shadows World War II, Vietnam and even the conflicts in the Mid-East. It’s the war everyone’s heard about but can’t quite place. It’s akin to Uncle Bob who shows up at Thanksgiving dinner—everybody knows his name but nobody really knows much about him.

Author John Stansifer’s new book shines a laser beam on the Korean War. He has chosen to focus on the remarkable story of an heroic military chaplain. His book No Bullet Got Me Yet: The Relentless Faith of Father Kapaun, pays tribute to Catholic priest and Army Captain (Chaplain) Emil Kapaun.

After reading the account of his life, even the Medal of Honor seems a woefully inadequate recognition for his remarkable service.

Stansifer tells the story through Emil Kapaun’s personal letters and the gripping sometimes emotional testimony of those soldiers who knew him personally. To say he was respected and beloved by everyone who knew him would be an enormous understatement.

The picture on the front cover of the book shows a smiling Chaplain Kapaun holding his damaged pipe. It had recently been shot out of his mouth by a North Korean sniper. It’s this incident that inspired the book’s title.

The first third of the book details the unremarkable story of a young farm boy, son of Bohemian immigrants, who grows up in small town Kansas. Emil decided in 1936, at age twenty, to enter the seminary and study for the Roman Catholic priesthood. He was ordained a priest in June of 1940 and soon after assumed the routine of a parish priest in his hometown church in Pilsen, Kansas.

In 1944 Father Kapaun received permission to serve as an Army chaplain. His service eventually took him to the Burma-India theater during World War II. He was released from active service in 1946, returning to the United States for additional education.

In 1948 Captain Emil Kapaun returned to active duty as a chaplain eventually being assigned to occupied Japan with duty in the 8 th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division.

Shortly after the outbreak of war on the Korean peninsula in July of 1950, the 1 st Cavalry Division landed in South Korea. Chaplain Kapaun accompanied his regiment in some of the most desperate fighting of the war. Tactical advances and retreats were everyday occurrences.

During one of the local retreats made by his unit Kapaun learned of a wounded soldier stranded by enemy fire beyond the reach of his fellow soldiers. Kapaun and his chaplain’s assistant knowing no litter bearers were available, braved intense enemy fire and saved the man’s life. For this he was awarded the Bronze Star for valor. Incredibly, this type of heroic action would become an everyday affair for Father Kapaun.

Fr. Kapaun (r) and a doctor carry a Soldier off a battlefield in Korea/

As the American and United Nations forces pushed the North Koreans back beyond the 38 th parallel, they eventually found themselves on the Yalu River and the border of China. It was here that China entered the war with staggering numbers that overwhelmed U.S. and allied forces. Chaplain Kapaun’s 8 th Cavalry Regiment was surrounded and decimated. The situation was hopeless. Those soldiers still able to fight made a desperate attempt to break out.

Chaplain Kapaun decided that he would stay behind to care for the wounded and face certain capture by the attacking Chinese.

Immediately during and after capture by the Chinese, Chaplain Kapaun saved many lives. He personally intervened to stop the Chinese execution of wounded Americans. During the many forced marches to the various prisoner of war (POW) camps Kapaun carried, dragged and cajoled wounded men in order to keep them from certain execution if they fell behind.

Chaplain Kapaun’s actions in the POW camps are perhaps the most memorable parts of Stansifer’s book. His atheist Chinese captors held special antipathy toward chaplains. Accordingly, they were singled out for harsh treatment. Everyday life in the camps was a brutal struggle for survival.

Putrid water, a starvation diet, freezing cold and relentless brutality characterized POW life. In spite of this Chaplain Kapaun bravely took care of “his boys “as he called the soldiers to whom he ministered.

This included not only Catholic soldiers but Protestant, Jewish and even Turkish Muslim soldiers. In spite of the fact that the Chinese separated the enlisted and officers into separate camps, Chaplin Kapaun regularly risked his life sneaking into the enlisted camps to administer baptisms, the last rites to dying soldiers and general prayer services for the troops. He never let “his boys” down.

Chaplain Kapaun was remembered by fellow POWs not only for his significant acts of courage but for his small acts of kindness. In a place when there was little hope, kindness was a special commodity. He would regularly melt snow, making a small fire with twigs, then offer a hot tin of water to emaciated soldiers. One soldier said it was “the best drink he ever had.” Captive soldiers remembered these small acts of kindness as essential to their morale and their survival.

One of the most unique acts of fellowship in the POW camp occurred when an American Jewish officer carved a beautiful crucifix for Chaplin Kapaun. This superb piece of inspirational Christian art was smuggled out of the camp at the end of the war and is now on display in Emil Kapaun’s former Kansas High School.

Chaplain Kapaun’s last days were extremely difficult. He had an infected leg which hindered his mobility and had lost the sight in one eye due to a splinter injury. Nonetheless he fashioned an eyepatch and dragged himself about the camps ministering to all in need, never hesitating nor complaining about his own suffering.

Captain Chaplain Emil Kapaun died in captivity after slowly succumbing to a combination of dysentery, pneumonia, infections, and the effects of starvation. His captors knowing his critical condition removed him, in spite of protests by his fellow soldiers, to a dirt hut in order to die. His dying words were for others to continue to pray and keep faith while in captivity.

The Chinese, always fearful of his influence, ordered that his POW compatriots bury him in a mass grave. In a stunning act of defiance American soldiers fooled the Chinese and honored Chaplain Kapaun by burying him alone.

In a remarkable turn of event, one might say a miracle, Emil Kapaun’s remains were identified in 2020, using advanced DNA technology. His remains were returned to the United States. He was honored with a public funeral in Wichita, Kansas in 2021 which drew over 2,000 attendees. He was interred in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita.

Emil Kapaun is also being honored in quite a different way. The Roman Catholic church has begun the long and detailed process of naming him a saint.

Actually, the church might have to catch up with the soldiers who knew him. They have already proclaimed him a saint. One Jewish soldier stated: “His self -sacrifice, his love of his fellow man, and even his love of his enemy marked him more saint than man… he represented saintliness in its purest form,”

Another soldier who shared the same POW hut with Chaplain Kapaun described the experience by recalling that he “spent several months sleeping beside a saint.” If any man deserves to be called saint it’s hard to find a more deserving candidate that Chaplain Emil Kapaun.

When President Barrack Obama presented the Medal of Honor Emil Kapaun’s family in 2013 he gave the following emotional remarks capturing the essence of this remarkable man:

Pres. Obama at the MoH ceremony for Fr. Kapaun

“They came for him and over the protests and tears of the men who loved him the guards sent him to a death house—a hellhole with no food or water—to be left to die and yet even then his faith held firm. “I’m going to where I’ve always wanted to go” he told his brothers. “And when I get there, I’ll say a prayer for all of you.” And then he did something remarkable—he blessed the guards. “Forgive them for they know not what they do.” Two days later in that house of death he breathed his last breath.”

For those wishing for an inspiring and meaningful read this summer, No Bullet Got Me Yet should be on your list.

Update: Based on a helpful note from a reader, the author updated the post to show that Fr. Kapaun was the most decorated chaplain, but not the only one to win the Medal of Honor. (There are nine, see here ).

About the Reviewer

After retiring from the Army as a Colonel, Bill worked as a civilian for the United States Southern Command (Miami, FL), where his duties took him throughout Central and South America and the Caribbean basin. He has also worked in private industry and has run his own small business. He now lives in Delaware where he lectures, writes and delivers podcasts on the history of northern Delaware and the surrounding region during the American Revolution.

The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect my views or those of the Center on Law, Ethics and National Security, or Duke University. See also here.

Remember what we like to say on Lawfire ® : gather the facts, examine the law, evaluate the arguments – and then decide for yourself !

Tags: Bill Knightly Chaplain Emil Kapaun Korean War Medal of Honor

Have a great 4th of July!

4 July 2020

Thinking about President Roosevelt’s prayer on D-Day, June 6, 1944

6 June 2022

Previous story Guest Book Review: “The Origins of Victory: How Disruptive Military Innovations Determine the Fates of Great Powers”

About Maj. Gen. Charles J. Dunlap, Jr., USAF (Ret.)

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Understanding Joni Mitchell’s genius from both sides now

Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell book jacket

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Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell

By Ann Powers Dey Street Books: 448 pages, $35 If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from Bookshop.org , whose fees support independent bookstores.

Last year someone I was talking to snorted that an older, lefty, white woman we both know seemed “like the kind of person who goes to Joni Mitchell concerts.” I had just gotten back from a “Joni Jam” the then-79-year-old Canadian American singer-songwriter had put on with Brandi Carlile and a coterie of musicians at the Gorge in Washington state, eight years after a brain aneurysm had robbed her of her ability to speak and walk. Huddling with some 20,000 devotees under a pink sky at Mitchell’s first ticketed live performance in more than 20 years is a night I consider a peak life experience, and the snide comment reducing the artist and her fans to a stock type annoyed me. But having neither a smart response nor the energy to clap back, I kept my mouth shut.

Happily, Ann Powers’ book, “Traveling: On the Path of Joni Mitchell,” has prepared me for my next such encounter, both intellectually and energetically. Better than that, it has helped me understand my own fandom and the brilliant but flawed, relatable but unknowable woman who inspires it. Powers writes about those who callowly dismiss Mitchell, but she also describes the way some of Mitchell’s fans have held onto the influential singer-songwriter over the years as a “smothering hug,” a kind of adoration that leaves the receiver no room to maneuver, no space to breathe.

By contrast Powers, who is NPR’s music critic and the L.A. Times’ former critic, came to the subject of Mitchell reluctantly. The author writes that “all the Joni worship freaked me out, frankly,” and she was recruited to the book by an editor. This makes Powers the perfect writer for her subject, and she shows us a far more interesting way to regard Mitchell than the fan’s smothering hug. Hers is a loose embrace with the respect for craft that comes from truly understanding what it takes to write a song like “Woodstock” or “A Case of You” or “Come in From the Cold,” as well as a healthy dose of skepticism about the myth of Joni.

Mitchell is one of a handful of women in her era who were invited into the music world’s clubby little definition of genius, and Powers has the chops to explain exactly why that was so, both through her virtuosic writing on Mitchell’s musicianship and creativity and through a sophisticated interrogation of the gender and race politics of the era. She shows us how we can love an artist like Mitchell and let her be human, too, how we can understand her genius from — forgive me, Joni — both sides now.

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For many Mitchell fans, the basic beats of her life are well known, from a defining childhood bout with polio, to the daughter she bore and gave up for adoption at age 21, to her romances with male muses like Leonard Cohen and Graham Nash, as she traveled from Saskatoon, Canada, to Laurel Canyon to Greece. Powers takes us to those places with Mitchell but finds a way to make the journey new, in part by gracefully interweaving her own history with Mitchell’s, including their shared status as mothers in adoptive triads — Powers adopted a baby daughter.

Portrait of Joni Mitchell seated on the floor with her acoustic guitar in her lap

Both women have resisted the attempts of their male-dominated industry to pigeonhole them as female artists and metaphorical mommies, and both have grappled, in their own ways, with what it means to be a “real” mother. Rather than reach for easy answers to the questions about Mitchell’s maternity story, Powers manages to make a deeper point by accepting every woman’s essential fluidity on the topic of motherhood. “To ask whether Joni Mitchell ever wanted to be a mother is to assume that she, like any woman, could only hold one desire within her body at any given time, much less over time,” she writes.

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Powers isn’t a biographer, she asserts on Page 2, she’s a critic, and she didn’t ever interview Mitchell for this book. That status frees her to write in a way that doesn’t trade creative independence for access. This approach is especially helpful when she’s tackling Mitchell’s uncomfortable history on the subject of race. A white songwriter who collaborated with Black artists such as Charles Mingus and Herbie Hancock and who has counted Stevie Wonder and Prince among her fans, Mitchell took great pride in crossing musical boundaries. But over her life and career she also made choices that feel cringey at best and racist at worst.

She seemed to think her appreciation of Black music entitled her to use the N-word in conversation and don blackface in a pimp-inspired persona she created named Art Nouveau, a character she posed as on the cover of her 1977 album “Don Juan’s Reckless Daughter.” She has never apologized nor fully explained. Lesser writers would tread lightly here — zipping past an issue that doesn’t fit neatly into the laurel-collecting stage of Mitchell’s career with an “it-was-the-’70s” dismissal. Or they might make canceling Mitchell the entire point of their book.

Singer Joni Mitchell sits under a fig tree in the courtyard of her Bel Air home.

Instead, Powers does the hard work of exploring what motivated Mitchell and why she has so often gotten a pass for her judgment when it comes to the Art Nouveau character. The music industry’s sister evils of sexism and racism have something to do with Mitchell’s adoption of this misguided muse. Powers enlists other thinkers to help her tackle the question, such as Queens College scholar Miles Grier, including a transcript of their conversation that begins with the author confessing, “Miles, I really need help here.”

As a critic, Powers works in a field where confidently taking a side is the game — thumbs up or thumbs down. But she’s especially insightful and fun to read when she gives herself and her readers permission not to know things. What a relief in this era of passionate intensity! It’s also a fitting approach to Mitchell and her work, which has always been about inquiry, about the journey of understanding ourselves and others, not about getting to the moment where we finally have life all figured out.

Reading Powers is like hearing one of Mitchell’s signature open tuning chords, an adaptation she developed because of polio’s effects on her left hand. The book, like the chord, doesn’t resolve neatly — it asks questions that ring on.

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Market Realist

Have a Love for Books? Here are 10 Platforms That Pay Readers for Reviews and Narration

Posted: December 7, 2023 | Last updated: December 7, 2023

<p>Getting paid just for reading sounds more like fantasy fiction right out of a book lover's imagination. But it turns out that some platforms are willing to pay you to share your thoughts on the kind of literature that you love to explore across genres. Since thousands of new books are released daily, some websites pay people to read, review, and even record books, offering opportunities to earn up to $300 per hour. Keep reading to find out more!</p>

Have a love for books? What if you get paid for reading?

Getting paid just for reading sounds more like fantasy fiction right out of a book lover's imagination. But it turns out that some platforms are willing to pay you to share your thoughts on the kind of literature that you love to explore across genres. Since thousands of new books are released daily, some websites pay people to read, review, and even record books, offering opportunities to earn up to $300 per hour. Keep reading to find out more!

<p>Upwork is an online freelancer marketplace that offers book reviewing opportunities alongside other writing gigs. Getting started only requires people to create a freelancer account, showcase their skills and experience, and upload a portfolio. They then need to browse available jobs, submit proposals for the ones they fancy, and if a client likes the pitch, they send a contract. Upwork not only pays for book reviews but can also help people bag other freelancing jobs.</p>

Upwork is an online freelancer marketplace that offers book reviewing opportunities alongside other writing gigs. Getting started only requires people to create a freelancer account, showcase their skills and experience, and upload a portfolio. They then need to browse available jobs, submit proposals for the ones they fancy, and if a client likes the pitch, they send a contract. Upwork not only pays for book reviews but can also help people bag other freelancing jobs.

<p>Kirkus Review, a platform for book reviews, gives experienced reviewers the chance to assess English and Spanish titles through their Kirkus Indie program. If you wish to apply, be prepared to submit a resume and samples of your work. This platform isn't for beginners. Impressive writing samples and a remarkable publication history can improve your chances.</p>

2. Kirkus Review

Kirkus Review, a platform for book reviews, gives experienced reviewers the chance to assess English and Spanish titles through their Kirkus Indie program. If you wish to apply, be prepared to submit a resume and samples of your work. This platform isn't for beginners. Impressive writing samples and a remarkable publication history can improve your chances.

<p>Affiliated with the American Library Association, Booklist pays $15 for each review that enables schools and public libraries to select books. They prefer concise "haiku-style" reviews between 150 to 175 words. Each review should include a plot synopsis, suggest the book's target audience, and recommend similar titles. Currently, Booklist isn't accepting applications on their website. However, you can keep an eye out for future opportunities and contribute to this literary community.</p>

3. Booklist

Affiliated with the American Library Association, Booklist pays $15 for each review that enables schools and public libraries to select books. They prefer concise "haiku-style" reviews between 150 to 175 words. Each review should include a plot synopsis, suggest the book's target audience, and recommend similar titles. Currently, Booklist isn't accepting applications on their website. However, you can keep an eye out for future opportunities and contribute to this literary community.

<p>If you're passionate about reading and reviewing books, BookBrowse allows users to get started once they express literary preferences, share insights, and provide a brief bio. Reviewers typically handle one book per month, exploring adult fiction, non-fiction, and young adult titles. Moreover, writing and sharing book reviews can help you build an online presence, especially if you post your reviews on platforms like a blog, Goodreads, or social media.</p>

4. BookBrowse

If you're passionate about reading and reviewing books, BookBrowse allows users to get started once they express literary preferences, share insights, and provide a brief bio. Reviewers typically handle one book per month, exploring adult fiction, non-fiction, and young adult titles. Moreover, writing and sharing book reviews can help you build an online presence, especially if you post your reviews on platforms like a blog, Goodreads, or social media.

If you love audiobooks and have a captivating voice, you can earn money on ACX, which connects professional narrators with authors in need of a voice for their books. You can earn through an hourly rate or a 50% share of book royalties, and once you've recorded 25 audiobooks, you can apply to become an Audible Approved Producer. Besides that, the Bounty Referral Program lets you earn by referring Audible users to your recordings. To start, visit the ACX website, create a profile, and upload voice samples by reading a snippet from an author's manuscript.

6. Findaway Voices

Another platform that pays people for recording audiobooks is Findaway Voices, where you will receive a custom URL for easy discoverability after creating a narrator profile. Upload samples of your work, along with an audio intro, bio, cover image, and avatar. Similar to ACX, Findaway Voices provides a comprehensive guide and tools to support your success as a narrator.

7. The US Review of Books

For aspiring authors looking for ways to sharpen their writing skills, becoming a reviewer for The US Review of Books is a suitable path. They publish monthly book reviews in their newsletter, helping authors promote their latest works. The site accepts reviews between 250 and 300 words, including plot synopsis and audience insights. They encourage objective writing without first-person language, allowing reviewers to compare books, share opinions, or discuss the author's background. You can apply by sending your resume, samples, and references, and if accepted, you'll have two to three weeks to submit your reviews based on the titles assigned to you.

<p>At Reedsy Discovery, you won't find a fixed payment for your book reviews, but readers can show appreciation by tipping $1 to $5. While it might not make you rich, it's an excellent platform to refine your reviewing skills, especially if you aim for larger sites like Kirkus Reviews. Applying is simple, you just need to provide your email address and name, along with reading habits, preferred genres, and a brief bio. Including links to your best reviews, whether in written or video form, can increase your chances of making more money.</p>

8. Reedsy Discovery

At Reedsy Discovery, you won't find a fixed payment for your book reviews, but readers can show appreciation by tipping $1 to $5. While it might not make you rich, it's an excellent platform to refine your reviewing skills, especially if you aim for larger sites like Kirkus Reviews. Applying is simple, you just need to provide your email address and name, along with reading habits, preferred genres, and a brief bio. Including links to your best reviews, whether in written or video form, can increase your chances of making more money.

<p>Voices opens the door for voiceover enthusiasts to turn their passion into a rewarding experience With over 5,000 monthly job postings, this marketplace connects artists with projects. Once the project is completed, the payment is deposited into PayPal accounts. Specifically for audiobook projects, one can earn between $250 and $375 per task. Opting for a Premium membership can increase the chances of landing high-paying jobs, making Voices an ideal platform for aspiring voiceover artists to monetize their skills.</p>

Voices opens the door for voiceover enthusiasts to turn their passion into a rewarding experience With over 5,000 monthly job postings, this marketplace connects artists with projects. Once the project is completed, the payment is deposited into PayPal accounts. Specifically for audiobook projects, one can earn between $250 and $375 per task. Opting for a Premium membership can increase the chances of landing high-paying jobs, making Voices an ideal platform for aspiring voiceover artists to monetize their skills.

<p>Online Book Club offers a unique opportunity for book enthusiasts to earn between $5 and $60 per review. You get to choose titles from a provided list, receive the books for free, and pen down your thoughts. While the first review may not be paid in cash, subsequent reviews can fetch you a decent income. What's great is that you don't need to submit an application or have prior review samples, making it an ideal platform for beginners.</p>

10. Online Book Club

Online Book Club offers a unique opportunity for book enthusiasts to earn between $5 and $60 per review. You get to choose titles from a provided list, receive the books for free, and pen down your thoughts. While the first review may not be paid in cash, subsequent reviews can fetch you a decent income. What's great is that you don't need to submit an application or have prior review samples, making it an ideal platform for beginners.

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New York's A Book Place: Meet the charming bookstore that also hosts candle magic workshops

Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way, and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities.

Each week we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations.

This week we have Jocelyn Kaleita, owner of A Book Place in Riverhead, New York!

What’s your store’s story?

Opened in the summer of 2022, A Book Place is an indie bookstore in the middle of Long Island's North and South forks with carefully selected book collections and local handmade gifts. The shop is warm with its natural light and white-washed beams, making you instantly want to discover what's on the shelves, chat and relax. It is steps away from the Long Island Aquarium and connected to the local favorite restaurant Jerry and the Mermaid .

Check out: USA TODAY's Independent Bookstores Map

What makes your independent bookstore special?

Instead of a bestsellers section, A Book Place has a local author area for both adults and children. It sells locally crafted items, like candles, crochet gifts, bags, coffee and jewelry. We offer classes by artists and crafters, host book clubs, arrange events and work closely with local businesses, schools and libraries to support additional events, fundraisers and our community.

What's your favorite section in your store?

This is hard to answer as we change displays and settings around so often. I would have to say one of the most fun things we've gotten to do was to supply a patron with her reading books for a fun challenge: "reading through the alphabet." We were asked to select a book for each letter of the alphabet, wrap it and write clues as to what it was, but not tell what it was.

What book do you love to recommend to customers and why?

My favorite book is "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," but most of my patrons are adults, who read either romance or thriller. The first week I was open the two authors who sold out instantly were Stephen King and Dean Koontz, both of whom I have only read one book of. I was seriously rethinking my choice of location.

It all worked out and now I do have a healthy mix, with mostly patrons who love for me to recommend a good book. I believe books choose you, so playing this game is often just a walk around the shop and talking to the patron about what they have read, enjoyed, or maybe haven't enjoyed.

Currently, my favorite book to recommended is "The Lost Bookshop" by Evie Woods.

What are some of your store's events, programs, or partnerships coming up this quarter that you would like to share?

We've had author events, birthday parties, Bestie Night and a few mini–Maker Markets. Most recently we have started crochet classes: beginner, advanced, adult and child's and home school. The shop has a book club that has been meeting for just over a year. We also host candle magic workshops, which offer a tranquil evening learning about aromatherapy, crystals and meditation.

Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important?

There is the obvious reason: you're investing in your own community's longevity and economic stability. Your support directly supports local non-profits, causes and affiliates through donations, research and community events.

Shopping at an independent bookstore can offer better service that is more customizable and helpful. You are given more of a diversity in products and brands, as well as, reading material. Many of their vendors are local and can customize a product or arrange for a small batch to be delivered directly, saving the customer money. Getting to know small business owners is like making a new friend. Small businesses seamlessly grow a sense of community, recognition and trust you never build within a big box.

Last, and maybe the biggest, supporting a local indie bookstore makes everyone feel good! Instant serotonin boost when you buy something meaningful and special and are supporting something someone's dream!

Check out these titles recommended by A Book Place owner, Jocelyn Kaleita:

"Lost to Dune Road" by local author and librarian Kara Thomas
"Finlay Donovan is Killing It" by Elle Cosimano
"Finlay Donovan Rolls the Dice" by Elle Cosimano
"Expiration Dates" by Rebecca Serles
"Beartown" by Fredrik Backman
"The Leftover Woman" by Jean Kwok
"Jobs for Girls with Artistic Flair" by June Gervais

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Book Club: Come Discuss ‘Headshot,’ by Rita Bullwinkel

For The Book Review Podcast’s June book club, we’ll talk about “Headshot,” Rita Bullwinkel’s fierce and searching novel about the high-octane world of youth women’s boxing.

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By MJ Franklin

MJ Franklin is an editor at the Book Review.

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Welcome to the Book Review Book Club. Every month, we select a book to discuss on our podcast and with our readers. Please leave your thoughts on this month’s book in this article’s comments. And be sure to check out some of our past conversations, including ones about “James,” by Percival Everett , and “Demon Copperhead,” by Barbara Kingsolver.

“Andi Taylor is pumping her hands together, hitting her own flat stomach, thinking not of her mother sitting at home with her little brother, not of her car, which barely got her here, not of her summer job, her lifeguarding at the overcrowded community pool, not of the 4-year-old she watched die, the 4-year-old she practically killed, and his blue cheeks. … She’s thinking about the things she always does wrong when she fights. … She is also thinking about the way Artemis Victor will get her.”

So begins Rita Bullwinkel’s novel, “Headshot,” about the fierce and competitive world of youth women’s boxing.

The story follows eight teenagers fighting in the Daughters of America Cup, a tournament staged in a dilapidated gym in Reno. The novel is structured around the tournament’s bracket, each chapter detailing a match between fighters, bout after bout, until finally a champion is declared.

The drama of the novel is twofold. We are thrown into the high-octane theater of each fight, as the boxers work to land punches and defeat their opponents. (“Rachel Doricko plans to destroy Kate Heffer in well-formed increments.”) But we also explore each girl’s life — the novel flashes into the past to see the baggage that each carries; into the future to see what will happen to each once her boxing career is over; and into the girls’ minds in the present, as they reckon with their intense desires to make something of themselves. (“Here, at the Daughters of America tournament, Tanya Maw is a fighter. But she is also just a child — just a girl waiting to see what her life will be like compared to the lives of the other people she knows.”)

Which is to say: “Headshot” is a novel about boxing, yes, but it’s also a novel about the existential maelstrom of teenage girlhood.

For June’s Book Review Podcast book club, we’re chatting about “Headshot,” by Rita Bullwinkel . The discussion will air on June 28 , and we’d love for you to join the conversation. Share your thoughts about the novel in the comments section of this article by June 21, and we may mention your observations in the episode.

Here’s some related reading to get the conversation started:

Our critic Dwight Garner’s review of the novel: “ The impact of this novel, though, lasts a long time, like a sharp fist to your shoulder. It is so enveloping to read that you feel, at times, that you are writing it in your own mind. It contains no bogus psychologizing. Its wide-awake characters put me in mind of the singer Ian Dury’s immortal comment: ‘I’m not here to be remembered, I’m here to be alive.’” [ Read the full review here. ]

Bullwinkel’s interview with Olivia Parkes in Electric Literature: “In order to come to a match, in order to come to compete in something, you have to build the narrative in your mind that it’s the most important thing you’ll ever do. I’m interested in that dichotomy, of being forced to build a world for yourself that is so disparate from the world that society sees around you.” [ Read the full interview here .]

Kristen Roupenian’s review, for The New York Times Book Review, of Bullwinkel’s previous story collection, “Belly Up”: “In Bullwinkel’s creepy, deadpan debut, bodies become objects, objects become bodies, and bodies and objects fuse and part in fascinating, unsettling ways. For readers with the stomach for it, the book is full of squirmy pleasures.” [ Read the full review here. ]

We can’t wait to discuss the book with you. In the meantime, happy June and happy reading!

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Want to know about the best books to read and the latest news start here..

John S. Jacobs was a fugitive, an abolitionist — and the brother of the canonical author Harriet Jacobs. Now, his own fierce autobiography has re-emerged .

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Jenny Erpenbeck’s “ Kairos ,” a novel about a torrid love affair in the final years of East Germany, won the International Booker Prize , the renowned award for fiction translated into English.

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Each week, top authors and critics join the Book Review’s podcast to talk about the latest news in the literary world. Listen here .

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Book Review: ‘When the Sea Came Alive’ expands understanding of D-Day invasion

This cover image released by Avid Reader shows “When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day” by Garrett M. Graff. (Avid Reader via AP)

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Writing about the Allied invasion of Normandy , Garrett M. Graff is treading onto familiar history with his latest book.

From books by historian Stephen Ambrose to films like Steven Spielberg’s “Saving Private Ryan,” there’s ample works chronicling the June 6, 1944, landing during World War II that ultimately led to the downfall of Nazi Germany.

But in “When The Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day,” Graff weaves together hundreds of eyewitness accounts to create a history that stands alongside those works, expanding readers’ understanding of D-Day and offering a new, complete portrait in time for the 80th anniversary commemorations .

The oral history begins with a look at the planning of the operation, going back to 1943, and the buildup of personnel and equipment in the months leading up to the operation.

Graff uses a wide array and diversity of voices that give a fuller picture of the lead-up to the invasion, as well as the fighting itself. The book excels in highlighting the experiences of Black soldiers who landed on D-Day beaches and women who were part of the story, such as correspondent Martha Gellhorn.

But it should come as no surprise that the most harrowing portions of the book remain the landing and the battles that occurred on D-Day itself, with vivid first-hand account. Graff skills at sifting through the accounts and documents propel the action throughout the book.

Graff’s book is a testimony to the value in preserving memories from grand historical events, demonstrating how much can be unearthed from even the most familiar stories.

AP book reviews: https://apnews.com/hub/book-reviews

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COMMENTS

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
May 1, 2018. A Place For Us is a first novel for Fatima Farheen Mirza, and a first literary work acquired by Sarah Jessica Parker as editorial director for SJP for Hogarth. This is the story of a Muslim Indian American family, and their community, living in California. It begins with the wedding of Rafiq and Layla's daughter Hadia's wedding ...
A PLACE FOR US
At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot. Dark and unsettling, this novel's end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed. 67. Pub Date: April 24, 2018. ISBN: 978-1-5011-5464-5. Page Count: 368.
Review: A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
Book Review. As the story's narrative inches closer to present day, it tones down the time-shifting. Once the plot evens out, A Place for Us becomes surprisingly coherent and purposeful. Despite a beginning that somehow manages to be both frenetic and dragging at the same time, once the plotline steadies itself, a much more collected and thoughtful story takes shape.
Sarah Jessica Parker Has a Book She Wants You to Read
June 1, 2018. A PLACE FOR US. By Fatima Farheen Mirza. 383 pp. SJP for Hogarth. $27. There are two kinds of belonging in Fatima Farheen Mirza's debut novel, "A Place for Us," the first title ...
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza book review
Instead, the first book from Parker's imprint is a work of literary fiction: a quiet novel by an unknown 26-year-old writer named Fatima Farheen Mirza. Advertisement. And it is absolutely ...
'A Place For Us' Is A Skillfully-Drawn Family Saga : NPR
A Place for Us, the debut novel by author Fatima Farheen Mirza, opens with a kind of homecoming.Amar, the youngest child of an Indian American Muslim family, has returned after a three-year ...
Reviews of A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
The first novel from Sarah Jessica Parker's new imprint, SJP for Hogarth, A Place for Us is a deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity and belonging. A Place for Us unfolds the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family, gathered together in their Californian hometown to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia's, wedding - a match of ...
Review of A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A whopping 62 out of 66 of our First Impression reviewers gave A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza a four- or five-star rating - for an overall average of 4.7 stars. A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is the story of one immigrant family trying to find a place in American society. Timely in its subject-matter and exquisitely written ...
A Place for Us: A Novel
Named One of the Best Books of the Year: Washington Post • NPR • People • Refinery29 • Parade • BuzzFeed "Mirza writes with a mercy that encompasses all things."—Ron Charles, Washington Post Hailed as "a book for our times" (Christiane Amanpour), A Place for Us is a deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity, and ...
A Place for Us
From debut author Fatima Farheen Mirza comes A PLACE FOR US, a hauntingly beautiful and poignant story of identity, belonging and perception. This first novel from Sarah Jessica Parker's new imprint, SJP for Hogarth, is as timely as it is stunning, and is the perfect launch for an imprint designed to celebrate literary fiction titles that will resonate with all readers, regardless of race ...
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza: 9781524763565
About A Place for Us. AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD "5 UNDER 35" NOMINEE • NEW YORK'S "ONE BOOK, ONE NEW YORK" PICK Named One of the Best Books of the Year: Washington Post • NPR • People • Refinery29 • Parade • BuzzFeed "Mirza writes with a mercy that encompasses all things."—Ron Charles, Washington Post
Book Marks reviews of A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for Us is a stunning novel about love, compassion, cruelty and forgiveness—the very things that make families what they are ... The structure of A Place for Us is unconventional; the novel goes back and forth in time, switching points of view. This isn't the easiest thing to pull off, but Mirza executes it perfectly, creating a ...
A Place for Us: A Novel
A Place for Us is a book for our times: an astonishingly tender-hearted novel of identity and belonging, and a resonant portrait of what it means to be an American family today. It announces Fatima Farheen Mirza as a major new literary talent. ... — New York Times Book Review "The thinking person's summer read, ...
A Place For Us [Book Review]
A Place For Us features well-developed characters, complicated family dynamics, complex relationships, issues of faith, parenting woes and joys, diversity, moral dilemmas, regrets, compassion, grace, loyalty, finding one's voice, etc. I love that at the end of conflict, misunderstanding, best intentions, and brokenness, there is grace and ...
All Book Marks reviews for A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for Us is a stunning novel about love, compassion, cruelty and forgiveness—the very things that make families what they are ... The structure of A Place for Us is unconventional; the novel goes back and forth in time, switching points of view. This isn't the easiest thing to pull off, but Mirza executes it perfectly, creating a ...
Review: A Place For Us
A Place For Us is a brave and beautiful read, with a pacy plot and rich and poetic prose throughout. While the entire book flows flawlessly, I found my heart quickening for the final hundred pages, as I found myself racing through the last quarter of this poignant tale, while simultaneously wanting to savour every last word and every last page.
A Place for Us (Mirza)
A Place for Us. Fatima Farheen Mirza, 2018. Crown/Archetype. 400 pp. ISBN-13: 9781524763558. Summary. A deeply moving and resonant story of love, identity and belonging. A Place for Us unfolds the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family, gathered together in their Californian hometown to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia's, wedding—a ...
Review: A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is a heavy and thought-provoking read. The writing is excellent and there are many layers to this epic read. Join the Book Club Chat Newsletter. I've always been a fast reader. But some books really do require me to slow down a bit, as is the case with A Place for Us. Instead of trying to finish this ...
A Place For Us
Review: A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza is a complex, intense and layered family drama full of emotional conflicts, everyday struggles and simple joys. An endearing and heartfelt saga that spans decades, it is bound to leave a mark on its readers. The story revolves around an Indian-American Muslim family trying to embrace their life in ...
A Place for Us: A Novel|Paperback
"A Place for Us is a stunning novel about love, compassion, cruelty and forgiveness — the very things that make families what they are…[Mirza's] writing is gorgeous, unadorned but beautiful… a miracle of a book. A Place for Us is a major accomplishment, a work of real beauty and fierce originality." — Michael Schaub, NPR.org
A Place for Us Summary and Study Guide
Overview. Fatima Farheen Mirza's A Place for Us debuted in 2018. The novel, an instant New York Times best seller, was lauded as one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, and more. It's notable for its extensive use of flashbacks and shifting perspective, which moves between third and first person. Plot Summary.
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza, Review: Accepting imperfection
A Place for Us Synopsis: As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made. There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister's footsteps.
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Title: A Place For Us Author: Fatima Farheen Mirza Pages: 377 Publication Day: June 12th, 2018 Publisher: SJP for Hogarth Format: e-ARC

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