As the novel had won the Women’s Prize for Fiction I was really looking forward to reading this book. Perhaps that was why I felt slightly disappointed by the end of it. It is a well written book but I never really felt a connection with the characters, who I felt were never developed enough by the author, with what I assume was meant to be a twist at the end seeming predicable to me.
The first part of the book is set in Pakistan when the two main female characters are teenagers. The latter part is about them as forty something successful career women and is set in London. The period set in Pakistan was probably my favourite part of the book but even that I found fairly hard going and the second half I was waiting for something to happen. The whole book I felt was under developed and so much more could have been made of the characters, both the lead and supporting ones, and of the storyline in general. The ending I found particularly disappointing. A definite “Is that it?” sort of read.
The first part of the book is set in Pakistan when the two main female characters are teenagers. The latter part is about them as forty something successful career women and is set in London. The period set in Pakistan was probably my favourite part of the book but even that I found fairly hard going and the second half I was waiting for something to happen. The whole book I felt was under developed and so much more could have been made of the characters, both the lead and supporting ones, and of the storyline in general. The ending I found particularly disappointing. A definite “Is that it?” sort of read.