Fatima Farheen MirzaA Place for Us: A Novel

This book is elegantly written and beautiful in its honesty, relatability and heartfelt sentiments. The character development is so rich and deep that these characters take up residence not only in your mind, but also your heart. The words, so eloquent, they read almost like poetry. It is hard to believe that such strong and deep emotions are a work of fiction. It is an emotional and very personal examination of a family that is so realistic this book could easily be mistaken as a memoir. For me, the only let down was the uncertainty regarding Amar, however there are enough breadcrumbs left toward the end to start to piece together a picture of him in the present. I respect the decision to have Rafiq be the final voice of this novel. Throughout this story Rafiq said so little, yet impacted so much. Part Four of the book allows Rafiq to offer us a glimpse into his heart and truly get to know him, rather than only knowing him from the other family member’s retelling of events. Rafiq imparts a lot of wisdom toward the novel’s conclusion. He holds nothing back as he writes directly to Amar. We see Rafiq—all of him—his heart, his struggles, his guilt. We also see his growth as a man, a father, a Muslim, a husband and even a grandfather. It’s sad to listen to a man who has lived a life he doesn’t seem particularly proud of. Although in the book we know him as angry and loud, he actually speaks very little. He lives a life at arm’s length from his family. He uses his anger to earn respect, but fails to earn any that way. His pain is deep, but his hope—though wavering at times—still remains. His faith, too, stays strong and is made stronger by his ability to see it from all sides. We mostly saw his strict adherence to the “rules” of his religion. In the end, he actively practices faith, not just the rituals. Faith is not a noun, it is a verb and in the end I think we see Rafiq has come to realize this. The ending leaves us all with the sense of hope this family maintains to find its way back together. There is hope for the chance for father and son to redeem their relationship and get to know one another as adults—as equals. There is hope for Layla to get a family portrait that has all of the people in the places they belong. No matter what, there is hope. I’m sure there will be more great works from this young and remarkable author. No matter how many books she may write, or how many books I will read by other authors after this novel, this family will never leave me—this book was that powerful. A permanent impression by this family has been left upon me.

This is book I kept seeing everywhere and I knew I would either hate or love it. While I did think it was a bit overly hyped up, I still found it to be a beautiful story full of love, loss, and acceptance.The novel begins as an Indian wedding brings family members back together again. Hadia is the eldest child and the one getting married. Huda is the middle daughter, and lastly there is the youngest son Amar. He is seeing his family for the first time in three years. As the novel continues in flashbacks, we learn what causes this family grief and heartache, and why they have drifted apart.I initially found the timeline to be difficult to follow, as there is no description as to what year events take place, and the passages often jump back and forth. But once I was able to figure out the different plot lines, I found myself fully immersed in the story. I loved watching each of these children come of age under the care of their parents, Rafik and Layla. Layla fiercely loves her children, and puts a bit more focus on Amar. Rafik stands back with a watchful eye, and seems to be the center that keeps the family upright.Amar's struggles with substance abuse were often painful to witness, but Mirza wrote him in such an honest and compelling way. I really felt like I got to know this family and witness their struggles first hand.Throughout the book I felt like Rafik was never showcased as much as the rest of the family. I was therefore ecstatic that the last section is told in first person from his perspective. I thought it brought so much light to the whole family, and he ended up being my favorite character. Everything he did, he did for them.Don't expect this to be a fast read. You will need to take your time, and if you have the patience, you will find yourself completely drawn in to a breathtaking tale of family and everything that goes with it.