Loved this book... It had EVERYTHING for me!
I absolutely adored this book and could not put it down. It had a great premise and some fantastic characters that are entrenched in British society. The story is so relevant for the times we live in - The Islamaphobia challenges the perception of the reader through the voices of normally likeable characters that are so believable. I can’t recommend it enough.
📝Story: We meet Bilal at a pivotal moment in his life - the passing of his mother, Sakeena. He makes 2 promises to her. 1 - to look after his Khala and 2 - build a Mosque in the picturesque, small and white village he lives in. We discover early on that Bilal’s marriage to Mariam is struggling and with her ex husband returning to state claim on his stepson Haaris; the stakes are higher than ever. When Bilal announces his intention to build a Mosque at the Parish council meeting and ALL manner of hell breaks out. Will the village of Babbel’s End and it’s inhabitants ever be the same again?
❤️What I loved?
The writing style was so easy to read. It reminded me very much of J.K. Rowling’s A Casual Vacancy. All the characters resonated as people that would live in a village like Babbel’s End. There was equal part of tragedy, conflict, humour and romance which really made me buy into the character and the story. I wanted Bilal to succeed and I adored Khala Rukhsana what a wonderful character she was.
I think that Malik really got to the bare bones of how Britain as a whole feels towards Muslims and some moments it made uncomfortable reading but isn’t that the point? Shouldn’t stories challenge us?
❌What I didn’t love?
Nothing... Absolutely nothing.
📝Story: We meet Bilal at a pivotal moment in his life - the passing of his mother, Sakeena. He makes 2 promises to her. 1 - to look after his Khala and 2 - build a Mosque in the picturesque, small and white village he lives in. We discover early on that Bilal’s marriage to Mariam is struggling and with her ex husband returning to state claim on his stepson Haaris; the stakes are higher than ever. When Bilal announces his intention to build a Mosque at the Parish council meeting and ALL manner of hell breaks out. Will the village of Babbel’s End and it’s inhabitants ever be the same again?
❤️What I loved?
The writing style was so easy to read. It reminded me very much of J.K. Rowling’s A Casual Vacancy. All the characters resonated as people that would live in a village like Babbel’s End. There was equal part of tragedy, conflict, humour and romance which really made me buy into the character and the story. I wanted Bilal to succeed and I adored Khala Rukhsana what a wonderful character she was.
I think that Malik really got to the bare bones of how Britain as a whole feels towards Muslims and some moments it made uncomfortable reading but isn’t that the point? Shouldn’t stories challenge us?
❌What I didn’t love?
Nothing... Absolutely nothing.