I read this all in one evening. It is a story told quite simply, and nicely brief – though sometimes I had to read back over a paragraph to make sure I’d understood correctly as the author didn’t labour the point (this was a good thing).

There were some beautiful turns of phrase, but one error jumped out – siege the opportunity, instead of seize – is this a colloquialism or just a sounds-alike that slipped through the proof reading?

I liked the physical descriptions, of places and people, but there were a few too many instances when Zuleikha felt faint or her head woozed, or she was lightheaded, or felt like she was floating. Other than when this was a symptom of pregnancy it wasn’t clear what these feelings indicated for the character.

I found all the men a bit confusing, as if the author knew what they were getting at but didn’t make their intent clear enough. Patrick came across as a bit sleazy from the off, and Anthony definitely so – I’m glad she didn’t jump into a relationship with Anthony, but it was equally weird that she should behave with such hostility.

I’m not sure I got the ending – are we to believe her car blew up on the way, perhaps with a lightning strike? There were omens, but even the character didn’t know what of, so I’m not sure why we should know.

I enjoyed the contrasting attitudes of the Imam vs the DA – in one’s view she is entirely to blame, in the other’s view he is entirely to blame. But I didn’t understand why Jane let slip what was going on with Antifa – this didn’t contribute anything to her conversation with Zuleikha. Likewise, we didn’t need to know what happened to Reza.

I liked the way the piano was woven into the story, though sometimes it felt a bit forced, like the flashbacks about the professor – Sir Pendleton (which also doesn’t make sense, as it would be Sir [first name]). We knew that her father dealt in black-market films and books, but this was only mentioned in passing until she’s with Jane, and suddenly she’s telling the whole story – that was a bit odd, how she suddenly opened up there. The story was good, but the idea that she learned life lessons from films needed to come a bit sooner.

Overall, I did enjoy this story, and how it was told – sorry for the nitpicking!

An impressive debut novel. Suman Mallick navigates a layered subject with nuance and sensitivity. Failing to connect to her new, unresponsive husband, the book looks at a Pakistani Muslim woman's struggle to adapt to an unfamiliar, new existence in Texas. Across the narrative-- raising her son, pursuing her passion for the piano, and developing a love interest in a dad from their shared daycare --the author displays empathy for women with a lived experience of domestic violence.

A young Muslim woman is married and settles with her husband in Texas. Marriage at its best is an adjustment but doing so in a foreign country is an added challenge. Sensing his wife’s unease the husband arranged for her to have a piano which evolves into the wife starting to give lessons. It is lessons with a neighbor that leads to conflict within the marriage. Here is a lesson in assimilation on a very personal lesson with terrifying consequences.

For a debut novel, Suman Mallick has chosen a tough subject and succeeds where many have failed, With empathy for women that suffer domestic violence and a complete understanding of the legal procedures a gripping and rewarding storey evolves.
With different groups either religious or legal that became involved in the drama with their own agendas add to a complex and most enjoyable read and highly recommended.
This is an independent review for NetGalley / Atmosphere Press.

This beautifully written novel imagines the life of Zuleikha, a Pakistani pianist who comes to America for an arranged marriage that falls apart over five or six years. When the novel begins, Zuleikha and her new husband, Iskander, are shopping for wedding gifts—a car and a piano—near their home in Irving, Texas. Zuleikha is happy to finally be getting the car and piano, but to say she is happy in her new marriage wouldn’t be quite right. Iskander often smirks when Zuleikha shares her thoughts with him, and he only manages to call her piano-playing “interesting.” When he shocks her one evening by calling her playing “stunning,” they conceive their first child, Wasim.

Three years pass. Zuleikha begins giving piano lessons to a dozen or so students while Iskander works and Wasim is at daycare. Her life is fairly monotonous until one day she accompanies Wasim to a birthday party, and the birthday boy’s father, an unhappily married man named Patrick, asks for piano lessons. After a few weeks of lessons, Zuleikha and Patrick become lovers. Their affair goes on until one night at dinner Wasim declares that “Jamieson’s daddy likes to kiss Mamajaan.” Not surprisingly, Iskander is furious. Later that night Zuleikha is rushed to the hospital and Iskander is charged with a heinous crime. The incident becomes a news story and Zuleikha’s fate falls into the hands of an aggressive district attorney who seems to have an anti-Muslim agenda.

I suspect that if there has been resistance to publishing this novel it has at least something to do with the ending. The writing is lovely throughout and Mallick has done a heroic job portraying a woman caught between traditional Pakistani and modern, Western values. I was really taken with Zuleikha’s character—her background as a classical pianist and how she learns about love from contraband American movies, novels, and music that her father sold on the black market. The end of this novel, however, is unsatisfying. Zuleikha leaves Texas with her son to attend a brief music conference in New Mexico. She has let Iskander know she wants a divorce and won’t stand in the way of him seeing Wasim, but it’s unclear what her new life will look like or how she will survive as a single mom. We also don’t know what will happen to Iskander, nor how Zuleikha’s family will react to the mess. I really wished for more resolution since this is a complicated, sensitive story about how Muslim women are treated when victims of domestic violence.

This was another book where I didn’t know what this was about when I requested it, I just thought the title was interesting. This was definitely not for the faintest of hearts, there is a trigger warning of domestic violence which I didn’t see until right now. I think Zuleikha is a strong woman and didn’t deserve to go through what happened to her. Her story hurt my heart. I’m happy with her decision towards the end although I thought the story ended abruptly.
I finished this book in one sitting.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book!

The first part has made me so engrossed into the story, and I just read it continuously without any knowledge of what is happening around me. After I finished the first part of the story, I wanted to straight away jump into the second part. I can't wait to know what is the ending. And I was surprised that this is the author's debut novel because the storytelling and the writing are so compelling and convincing.

The current ending was quite random and irrelevant to me. I mean I can't see the point of having it, but of course, that is just me. Maybe there is a purpose of telling the readers what is next for Zuleikha. Other than that (more like personal opinion), I felt the entire story is very enthralling. It also involves various angles in viewing Zuleikha's marriage. She has different view about their marriage than her husband, Iskander. And the consequences of her action also triggers different opinions from an imam (religious point of view), a prosecutor (legal perspective) and a domestic violence advocate (moral standpoint). I love and respect Zuleikha's decision and I think I will do the same too if I were her. Her decision also sums up that whatever advice was given to her by any outsiders, she is the only one that knows what is best for her and her son. After all, she is the key person in that entire situation.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atmosphere Press for providing me with a free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.