i really wanted to like this book :(
when this book first came out i was so excited because i had been looking for a book exactly like this one. i wanted a story about young pakistani women and their bonds so this seemed perfect. however, i was hugely disappointed. firstly the book could have tackled so many important issues pakistan and the pakistani community faces, classism, sexism, and racism particularly. but the book did not do this well. without spoiling too much, the book almost ignores the racism pakistani's experience in london, with the only mention of racism being saved for layla and zola, and even having British media call various pakistani's the nation's heart or treasure. it's not very likely that british media would portray ethnic people as the nations anything really. the same goes for sexism in pakistani culture, i mean its there especially with the plot's main tension but it could of gone deeper especially with maryam and her granddad. i also wanted more and i really dislike when the main conflict of women is to do with men and it felt like that's what zahra and maryam had.
overall, it wasnt what i was looking for which was a story about pakistani women and their bonds. it almost felt like you could replace zahra and maryam with white women and the story would not change much but i was hoping for a bit more representation and commentary on pakistani culture
when this book first came out i was so excited because i had been looking for a book exactly like this one. i wanted a story about young pakistani women and their bonds so this seemed perfect. however, i was hugely disappointed. firstly the book could have tackled so many important issues pakistan and the pakistani community faces, classism, sexism, and racism particularly. but the book did not do this well. without spoiling too much, the book almost ignores the racism pakistani's experience in london, with the only mention of racism being saved for layla and zola, and even having British media call various pakistani's the nation's heart or treasure. it's not very likely that british media would portray ethnic people as the nations anything really. the same goes for sexism in pakistani culture, i mean its there especially with the plot's main tension but it could of gone deeper especially with maryam and her granddad. i also wanted more and i really dislike when the main conflict of women is to do with men and it felt like that's what zahra and maryam had.
overall, it wasnt what i was looking for which was a story about pakistani women and their bonds. it almost felt like you could replace zahra and maryam with white women and the story would not change much but i was hoping for a bit more representation and commentary on pakistani culture