A great story about family connections and immigrant life. I am always looking for more diverse literature to bring into the classroom as a teacher, and I think that this will resonate with some of my students.

South Asians!!!! We need more of them always. This was some frothy and melodramatic stuff but I truly did enjoy it! I know it already went to print so I may be belated in my feedback but this was enjoyable indeed.

I love books about DC. I love books about India. I love books about families and politics and academia, and I love books that examine what sociopolitical issues look like on a daily basis for the people whose lives they touch. This book is all of those things!

Ramiza Shamoun Koya’s The Royal Abduls tells the story of Amina, a scientist who moves to DC as a post-doc and becomes close with her nephew, Omar, an eleven-year-old with a newfound fascination with his Indian heritage. The close narration shifts between Amina and Omar, giving them each a distinct voice.

Set in the wake of 9-11, this is a novel about what it can mean to be a secular Muslim and second-generation immigrant in the US today. Koya writes elegantly and with compassion for her characters, so while the novel is tragic, it is also smart and sweet.

Thank you to @forestavenuepress and @netgalley for an eARC of The Royal Abduls.

The premise of the book was great. I was really intrigued by the blurb. Unfortunately, the book did not work for me. I couldn't connect to any of the characters nor the story because of the writing style. I was left wanting so much more from the story which I felt for the most part was incoherent. There was lack of adequate character development and real plot which made it difficult to stay engaged.

I was excited to read this but it simply not for me.

Review posted on GR: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3406875371

First I would like to thank NetGalley, and the publishers for letting me read (and experience this book) before the official release date.
Now, The Royal Abduls is about a multifaceted family with Indian roots living in a post 9/11 America, and their relationships among each other, with other people, and with their heritage. And it is a beautiful story that explores many aspects of relationships, among parents, families, and among tradition and roots.
Its important to mention the writing style has a strong voice that builds so much of the novel, and people who write more bland writing styles might simply not enjoy this book as much, but wow I Loved how the novel seemed to have a voice and a strong writing style instead of something forgettable. Every relationship in the book, being between siblings, parents, grandparents, friends and lovers, speaks about somethings that are deep and real that i cannot discuss because of spoilers, but every character felt real, and every connection felt substantial, as if they were real people. It might make you cry, but it will also possibly stay with you for a long time after you finish reading. I know there are some scenes I simply wont forget any time soon. It does not always go the traditional route, and subverts some expectations you may have created, and has many real things to say, if you give it a chance.

Overall, it connected to me in so many different personal levels i could not describe and even think properly of why when i was still reading. I am sure I will be thinking about this book and its characters for a long time to come. Thank you so very much for letting me experience this. It was a moving unique touching story unlike any other i have read and i am so thankful for the moment i decided to request it. I am very grateful.

Beautifully put together and thought provoking. Loved the book cover too. Power packed read. All the very best wishes to the author.

I’m judging a 2020 fiction contest. It’d be generous to call what I’m doing upon my first cursory glance—reading. I also don’t take this task lightly. As a fellow writer and lover of words and books, I took this position—in hopes of being a good literary citizen. My heart aches for all the writers who have a debut at this time. What I can share now is the thing that held my attention and got this book from the perspective pile into the read further pile.

He let his eyes run down her body while he thought about it, and she thanked God for the long shirt that hid her breasts, which were just big enough to draw a gaze but disappointing when it came to fancy dress. Besides, she knew that Chris wasn't actually interested in her, it was just habit that he looked her over.

Thank you so much to netgalley for sending me a copy of this book. I was extremely excited to read this book and I was not disappointed. You can really connect with the characters and I would definitely recommend!

I'm a huge fan of character driven novels and this one did not disappoint. It was a great story that explored race which proved timely at the point I read it. Books about dysfunctional families always appeal to me and this was another great one. I was sad to hear the author has terminal cancer. This is a wonderful, engrossing story that I thoroughly recommend.

This is an important book for these times that confronts anti-Muslim sentiments via a fictional narrative told across two characters who encounter different, but linked, challenges as Indian Americans in a post-9/11 US.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

This ownvoices realistic fiction by a Muslim Indian-American woman easily bashes racial and religious stereotypes while focusing on the hard-hitting and important themes of discrimination, secularism, psychological impact of divorces on children, alcoholism, and finding one's identity when being expected to dedicate one's life for relationships. Easily recommendable!

The Royal Abduls takes a deep dive into misogyny and also the complex challenges of living in the US with a Muslim name post-911. The main character, Amina Abdul, is a first generation American of Indian descent. A young post-doc scientist studying hybrid species in moths, she struggles with figuring out how to balance her passion for her work and her passion for her family and love interest.
Amina is not a particularly likable character, which is a point of success for the story. Koya could have made her a doting aunt or position her as a victim of the many tragedies she experiences in the story, but she does not. Amina is a realistic human being, and while readers may grow frustrated with her treatment of her love interest, the way in which she weighs the choices she faces seems true to life.
The book touches on misogyny and gender politics from a number of different angles by portraying male-female relationships in the workplace, women's prejudices against other women, and the differences between experiences of women and men in the workplace. There are about five adult male characters who have significant roles in the book and they did seem each to be representative of a "type" and thus to lack complexity and depth.
When Amina moves from California to DC for work, she develops a close bond with her teen-aged nephew, Omar, who is having his own struggles fitting in as an Indian-American with a Muslim name. His mother is a white American, however, his name and his skin define how he is viewed by society. At first he tries playing in to the stereotypes, adopting an Indian accent at school and collecting artifacts to prove his family's importance. When this has devastating outcomes, he tries to turn away completely from his heritage and considers changing his name.
A fairly large portion of the book is told from Omar's distinctively teen perspective. This adds an important angle to the story, an exploration of the choice many immigrants face--to fully assimilate and let go of all vestiges of the home culture or to maintain their practices from home--and how this choice is impacted by the social and political environment in which the immigrant finds themselves. Koya manages to truly embody these struggles of the immigrant experience through her characters and their experiences without ever preaching or even taking sides.
Readers may find themselves skimming through Omar's sections to some extent eager to get back to Amina's, not because of a flaw in the writing, but because, while Omar has little agency in his situation, Amina has a world of choices to make.
Amina's research into hybrid species is an interesting backdrop to the story as it underscores Omar's experience, the question of how the product of two related but different groups should be viewed, and the idea that this merging of different groups should be studied and handled with particular care. In Omar's case, the result is disastrous, but Amina's work seems to suggest that there is hope. Koya never makes that connection in any overt way. In fact, one of the successes of this book is that, despite exploring very difficult topics of immigration, misogyny, prejudice, terrorism, and family tragedy, Koya maintains a light touch and produces an entertaining and interesting story of the intersection of lives.

This is a brilliant character driven novel. The writing is stellar and the realistic view of what life is like for immigrants in America post-9/11 was educational. The writing style doesn't come off as preachy, but the injustice that the characters experience comes through.

Amina Abdul is an evolutionary biologist who has recently moved to Washington DC from California for a post-doc & to be closer to her brother Mohammed and his family. She left behind a longterm relationship that faltered due to her lack of desire to have children and her tendency towards being workaholic. Her brother & sister-in-law welcome her to the city but their marriage is failing and they rely on her to keep their son Omar company. Omar is in the 6th grade at a private school where he is one of the only students of color. Omar, as a second generation Indian-American is hungry to explore his cultural roots and fakes an Indian accent & stories of his family’s supposed royal past. When he brings an ornamental knife to school and ends up expelled, this triggers a downward spiral for the whole family. In a post 9/11 America, at war with people who look like them, the Abduls all struggle to find their place.

This was such a unique, fascinating read dealing with all kinds of issues not often explored in literature. I was immediately drawn to Omar and the way that he dealt with being different by weaving exaggerated stories about India & his family. His grandparents had fought so hard to assimilate and his father Mohammed and aunt Amina had lived in a way where they hardly gave a second thought to their heritage. So Omar knew very little but was so hungry to know more about where he came from and what it meant to be Indian-American. The struggles he faces and the trouble he inadvertently gets into were one of my favorite parts of the story.

Then there’s Amina, who even apart from her cultural and ethnic heritage, is a character unlike any I’ve encountered before. She’s fiercely independent to the point of often alienating those around her. She seems to feel like others are better off without her and if anything I wish that had maybe been explored a bit deeper, as in where did she develop these beliefs about herself, but oof could I ever relate to her. She ends up really deeply caring for Omar too, despite her general dislike of kids, and that was the other highlight of the book for me. To see these two kind of difficult characters find a bond in their struggles was really special and what helps keep this book that deals with so many heavy subjects from being too heavy to bear.

There is so much depth and a broad range of interrelated issues explored. Amina is a woman in the sciences and academia, a space where so few women are and so many end up pushed out and pushed away from. This book really delves into the misogyny of the academic and science communities in a way that’s so real.

In addition to the general identity issues and questions of assimilation versus holding onto and connecting more deeply with one’s heritage, another thing I found really interesting and unique about this novel is that the Abdul family are secular Muslims. They drink (in fact one family member struggles with alcoholism), eat pork, and even celebrate Christmas. Yet in a world that, at the time frame of this story, is only a few years post 9/11 the whole family is forced to contend with what it means to have the last name they do, the history and heritage they do, to worry about their safety and the things others assume about them. More than that though, I don’t think I’ve ever read or even seen a book focused on a secular Muslim family so it was really great to see.

I’m extremely grateful to have read this book and deeply saddened to know the author has terminal cancer. I would’ve loved to have seen what else Ramiza writes but I hope she is so proud to see her debut novel published and to know she’s given a voice to so many complex subjects not seen in literature. This book would be an incredible book club pick, given all the facets and things to discuss. It’s definitely a novel I’ll never forget.

A very interesting book to read, and at the same time was a very different experience for me.

I had a very weird experience with this book, I did enjoy the story, The characters were great, I was falling in love with Omar, Prakash, and Amina I felt like this was going to be a really good love story or that at one point Omar was going to get what he deserved, It really was good but here is where I get all confused as I really liked the book but still I kept feeling some emotions that were not pleasant.

The whole story was very sad, there were no feelings of happiness or love at any point. If you're looking for a love story this is not it. I always wanted someone to finally acknowledge Omar and I felt like everyone was so busy with their own problems that no one care how alone Omar felt, in his parent's mind, everything was ok with him, in his aunt's eyes he had to survive alone whatever life threw at him and with time he will feel better. I really never understood why they kept giving excuses not to talk to Omar and not to support him as he needed.

The Royal Abduls is a story about a family who is having a hard time to embrace their culture, they really don't want to acknowledge their roots, they make every excuse not to remember the past and not even to teach Omar what is the difference and the real traditions, he was so eager to understand who he was but nobody had the time to really help him grow, I felt like Omar was sad every single moment of his life and nobody seat with him to see what was going on.

The Royal Abduls talks about a family who is struggling to live in a country, where people don't understand their traditions and kept thinking they were terrorist, the typical stereotype the world assumes when they see someone wearing a Hijab, who looks Arab to assume he is a bad guy trying to destroy or to do something evil.

Amira kept putting so many walls even when she knew where her happiness was, I really never understood why she kept denied herself no matter if she knew, she was making a mistake, she was always trying to put walls around her and the people that love her. Amira was the character that I really like not only because she was the more mature and more easily approachable but also because she had always a small kind of gesture for Omar.

Mo and Marcy were also so closed off and so immersed in their problems and feelings that they never had the time for Omar. I felt like they were so selfish like many things would have happened if they had better communication in the first place.

After reading the Royal Abduls I found something similar to other books that I've read before about Indian culture, I'm not sure if is something cultural but every book I've read that speaks about Indian traditions the characters never talk, as in they never had a good communication, they're always very closed off, they don't like to speak, it is as if the culture is this way, that they don't acknowledge the emotions or feelings of a woman and children as if they dont have a voice. This is only MY perception in the books that I've read but in no way, I'm saying or suggesting this is the case in real life.

The Royal Abduls was a good read, even if it is not what I was expecting and was not really what I was looking for but the story is good.

4.5 stars- Loved this light in tone and easy to read book of substance. This is the story of Amina, a young Indian-American scientist who is figuring herself out. She has her work, her family, and a romantic interest but feels isolated. Saying more would spoil it, but this book is about family culture, growing up, and making life choices. This book could be for you if you liked the Netflix show Never Have I Ever (which is also great) or books like Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows. This book is very readable and was perfect for me- engaging read but not too heavy, just the right amount of interesting characters and cultural identity.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy.

"The Royal Abduls" is the story of an Indian-American family living in Washington DC immediately post-9/11 and is told from two POVs, that of Amina, a botanical scientist who is the daughter of immigrants, and Omar, her 11-year-old nephew who yearns to know more about his heritage. Through their experiences and those of the people around them, the author tackles themes of identity, racism, anti-Muslim sentiment, gender discrimination, family dynamics, and finding balance in one's life.

I was immediately drawn in by the premise of this book but something about it didn't click for me. I never felt like I understood why the characters were behaving the way they did and it was hard for me to care about them when their motivations seemed so confusing. I did appreciate the author's writing and the different perspective she offered on the American experience - I just wish it had been with more depth.

Thank you to NetGalley and Forest Avenue Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I applaud the writer's aims with this book. And, as a story, it's an important one to be told and retold in many ways. Beyond racism and religious fundamentalism, the themes related to familial loyalty, ethnic pride, and individualism are definitely worth exploring through the lens of immigrant lives. However, the narrative overall feels loose and lacking in pace. Certain authorial choices about where to dwell longer and where to speed things up don't quite make sense given what the writer seems to be trying to accomplish with the characters in particular scenes. Overall, I still found the book a worthy read but not moving enough for me to write an entire review for it. My sincere apologies.

This book is really unique as it came to me at the appropriate time, I was looking for something that realistic and that dramatic, however, I liked the happy end.
This novel is talking about an American/Indian family in the US after 9/11, about how it is difficult to be a woman, named a Muslim name and struggle to fit in you weird community.
Finally, I want to thank the gifted writer, Ramiza Koya, for the great writing quality.

Amazingly good from a debut author . Well told. Taunt and emotional. As a woman who is considered a minority because I am not white I really empathized with the characters who don't know where they belong, don't fit in and are not wanted. Read this riveting book by an author I absolutely want to read more from. A must read. Happy reading!