Ayesha, a twenty-seven-year old Indian Muslim, has lived in Canada since she was a young child when, following the death of her father, her mother brought her and her brother to join relatives already living in a suburb of Toronto. She would love to become a performing poet but can’t follow her dream because, following graduation, she has had to take a job as a substitute teacher in order to repay the tuition fees her affluent uncle had financed. Although she wears the hijab and practises her faith, she is a firm believer in romantic love. Unlike Hasfa, her spoilt, flighty young cousin who is aiming to attract, and then reject, a hundred rishtas (marriage proposals), Ayesha has no intention of submitting to an arranged marriage! Numerous “interfering” aunties are quick to nag her about her single status, as are other people in the close-knit Muslim community in which she lives, but she is determined to resist any attempt to introduce her to a “suitable” man.
On the other hand, handsome tech-manager Khalid is a more traditional Muslim. He attends mosque every day, wears a skullcap and white robe and has allowed his beard to grow long; he is regarded, even by some in his own community, as a “fundy” (fundamentalist). He still lives with his mother and, as a believer in arranged marriages, is confident that she will eventually find him a suitable bride – although he can’t help but be attracted by the beautiful young woman, in western clothes but with a purple hijab, whom he frequently notices through the window of his kitchen. However, his dilemma is summed up in the closing sentence of the first chapter:
….. Because while it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single Muslim man must be in want of a wife, there’s an even greater truth: to his Indian mother, his own inclinations are of secondary importance.
When Ayesha and Khalid finally meet, they share an immediate and powerful attraction, an attraction which each of them tries to resist. Their mutual ambivalence is fuelled by a series of deceits, misunderstandings and rumours, all of which conspire to thwart any hope of a relationship. In any case, surely there can be no future in a relationship between a progressive, independent young woman and an ultra-conservative man?
I had expected this to be a fairly light-hearted re-telling of Pride and Prejudice and, if I’m honest, had some doubts about whether the world really needed yet another take on this classic! However, I very quickly became aware that Uzma Jalaluddin’s debut novel has considerably more depth and insight than that. It is a well-written, thought-provoking exploration of this familiar story, brought into the twenty-first century by its setting in a multi-cultural society and all the influences of modern technology. It deals with a very wide range of contemporary problems and themes, including discrimination in the workplace, racism, self-determination, an examination of both sides of the debate between arranged marriages and romantic love, living within a marginalised community, multiculturism, Islamophobia, dysfunctional families, violence within the family – and these are just the main ones!
I liked the way in which, through the characters of Ayesha and Khalid, the author explored the very different ways in which people can explore and practise their religious faith. With a deft, but very light, touch, she highlighted the often-negative assumptions made about very traditional, devout Muslim men and the prejudice and misunderstandings which all too often arise as a result of this. In Khalid she created a much more three-dimensional and nuanced character, one who could take his faith seriously, could respect its traditions and yet still yearn for romantic love. In Ayesha she demonstrated that a desire to push against some of the strictures of her religion did not equal a lack of faith, rather a struggle to reconcile what felt like conflicting mores. This struggle with religious belief was just one of the thought-provoking aspects of the story which not only made an impact as I was reading but continues to resonate since I finished the book.
As well as the two main characters, each of other characters in the story felt fully formed, three-dimensional and entirely convincing. From Sheila, Khalid’s highly disagreeable, bigoted and racist boss, Clara, the supportive head of Human Resources in Khalid’s firm as well as being Ayesha’s best friend, Masood, wrestler turned life-coach and suggested potential marriage partner for Ayesha, through to Ayesha’s widowed mother who works so hard, appears to have a jaundiced view of romantic love and yet will never talk about her late husband. Each of these characters felt immediately recognisable and memorable, but the two I fell totally in love with were Ayesha’s grandparents. Nana, a retired English professor, a wise man who had a ready quote from Shakespeare for every occasion or dilemma, and Nani, the grandmother who prepared such delicious food that I found my mouth watering as I read the descriptions of the dishes she was cooking! Through her sensitive, even-handed telling of this story, the author showed characters with multi-faceted personalities, whose interactions with others were often complex, who frequently got things wrong and yet were never (maybe with the exception of Sheila!) beyond redemption.
This is a delightful, thought-provoking and often amusing book and, apart from enjoying it, by the time I had finished it I felt that my understanding of Indian Muslim culture had increased. A very strong, central message throughout the story was that we need to be wary of making assumptions based on appearances, so I’m particularly delighted that my initial assumption that this would be a light-hearted rom-com serves as an example of why we should always be prepared to be more open minded! This is an impressive debut novel.