Ayesha Shamsi is a busy girl. She has put aside her dreams of becoming a poet, instead she works as a substitute teacher so that she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives in Toronto with her boisterous Muslim family who always reminded her that her beautiful younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Even though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn’t want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who handsome and smart, yet overly straightforward and conservative. She finds him incredibly irritating and judgemental of her, yet she is attracted to him.
When a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is announced, Ayesha is torn between her feelings for Khalid and her own purpose. But Khalid is also struggling balancing his wants against his beliefs—he can't stop thinking about Ayesha.
I first heard about this book at an author event I attended last summer (doesn't summer seem like forever ago?) and I was immediately intrigued. It was wonderful to hear Uzma speak about her inspiration for the book. She is utterly delightful and enchanting, I encourage you to attend any of her events.
Jalaluddin has a gift for writing engaging dialogue. Her writing is clever with humour sprinkled throughout. She also highlights the timely and relevant issues that immigrants face, even in more multicultural countries like Canada.
Toronto is the perfect setting and I enjoyed learning more about our Muslim communities. Jalaluddin deftly guides the readers though the complex duality that her characters face; they are trying to honour their beliefs and culture without being conformed by the society they are trying to assimilate.
I highly recommend this modern retelling that has has been optioned for film. What a great acquisition! I think that this piece will translate well on the big screen and I really hope the studio stays true to the book and shoots it in Toronto. Congratulations, Uzma!
UZMA JALALUDDIN is a teacher and also writes a funny parenting column named 'Samosas and Maple Syrup' for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper.
She resides in Toronto with her husband and children.
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