London comes alive in this fantastic book!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.

Thank you to Netgalley, Yasmin Cordery Khan and the publisher for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Firstly, I loved this book. As someone who wasn't born in the 80's, I love hearing about what Britain and London was like during that time.

The plot was engaging and the character relationships were wonderful (and realistic, which helps!).

The mystery of what happened to Alia's father after he didn't show up for their regular meeting had be gripped from the very beginning.

I would definitely recommend this novel to my friends and family.

Newly arrived from Pakistan to study engineering at Imperial College, Khalid is drawn instead to glitz and glamour, working as a croupier at an exclusive London casino. It’s the 80s, his good looks and demeanour make him the right fit as his boss is keen to hire internationals who 'understand' the exclusive environment of London’s premier gaming rooms. Seduced by the power and wealth he encounters through his work, Khalid begins to desire the same. Entitlement set in as Khalid becomes entangled into murky dealings of BCCI bank. The rest as they say is history..
Yasmin Cordery Khan is a Historian of British India and Associate Professor of History at Oxford University, her earlier publications The Great Partition: The Making of India and Pakistan (2007), and The Raj at War: A People’s History of India’s Second World War (2015). Edgware Road is her debut novel.
The story is set in the 80’s, Khalid and his friend Imran are living in Hammersmith, whilst working nights in Mayfair. Khalid is married to Suzie, an ex-model, Imran is married to Hasina a traditional Pakistani housewife. Unlike Imran, Khalid has great aspirations. He wants a large house in St Johns Wood, he wants his wife to shop in designer boutiques and that his only daughter attends the best private school. He is willing to work hard and take all risks to make these dreams a reality.
One evening he has a date with destiny, Mr K. (Adnan Kashoggi) walks into the casino with a sizeable entourage. On his departure he hands Khalid his business card. As Khalid learns more about Mr K.’s jet-set lifestyle he is intrigued. Khalid has a connection to BCCI bank and learns Mr.K needs an introduction.
In the meantime, Lord Denby a Labour Peer for Oxford East is tipped off about the shady dealings of BCCI bank and slowly unravels the questionable financial activities that connect an international bank founded by a Pakistan Businessman that has branches on British soil.
Chapters of the novel switch back between London and Oxford in the 80s and Oxford at the present time creating tension and suspense in the novel.
The story is narrated through the eyes of Alia, initially as a child and later as an academic at Oxford University. As the novel progresses and Alia reaches adulthood, her writings and observations become more succinct. At times, the novel feels autobiographical given the fact the author is an Associate Professor at Oxford.
‘Alia was a fixed-term lecturer in English literature, that meant she was not old enough or good enough or plain lucky enough to stay forever. The author of two good papers in highly regarded peer-reviewed journals, yet despite the gown, the letters after her name, the hours of life poured away in libraries, and the way she scrambled and clutched on to reach this supposed pinnacle, she could never imagine herself as a don. She didn’t find in Oxford and she couldn’t pretend to, and after a few months of trying she had decided to just treat it like an old job. This was her strategy for survival.’
The author writes well, the novel is engaging and a page turner especially when she narrates the BCCI bank story. Considering this is her first novel, I am pleasantly surprised that an acclaimed Historian could write such an engaging novel set during her own lifetime.
We learn about her fathers’s background in Karachi, as Yasmin travels there to meet her family and find answers about her father’s past. Throughout the story the reader senses there is a strong sense of Alia trying to regain her sense of self and identity through her father. The author manages to flesh out the character of the main protagonist well.
Khalid works hard and risks everything to give his daughter Alia the best he possibly can. The bond between father and daughter is a theme prevalent throughout the story. Khalid cuts an endearing figure.
The story will appeal to anyone who grew up in 80’s Britain and possibly recalls the BCCI scandal. It has the grit of 80s as well as the incoming Capitalist policies of Thatcherite Britain, myths of London’s streets paved with gold.

I absolutely loved this! What a fantastic plot, beautifully written, intertwining the relationships between the characters in such an ingenious and realistic way. Easily one of my favourite books of the year. I will be recommending it to everyone for months to come!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A fresh voice on the literary fiction scene, Yasmin Cordery Khan writes with easy assurance about a moment in time that has largely been forgotten by all but those affected by it. She skilfully evokes the sights, sounds and smells of London in the 80s and I felt myself back there. I remember the BCCI scandal, but I was young and less interested in the details. However, the repercussions of the collapse of the bank rippled into my own life as a family friend had worked for the bank. His involvement with them was swiftly glossed over and it left the taint that something unsavoury had happened. Khan deftly shows the depth of corruption with a more human perspective as Alia Quaraishi tries to find out what happened to her father, Khalid. When she was 11 y/o, in 1987, he failed to show up for their regular meeting at Edgware Road. His body washed up from the Solent shortly afterwards and Alia moved on with her life. Now, a university professor, she wants to find out what happened to him and investigates. This may be literary fiction, but it has a propulsive, urgent narrative and Khan’s voice is so good that she pulls you along on her journey with ease. A really interesting and well written novel that feels too accomplished for a debut. Thoroughly recommend.

This was such a compelling read that had me gripped right from the very start. It was well written with an interestingstoryline and great characters. As someone who wasnt around in the 80's this book really brought that to life for me, I loved it

This is a great debut novel, which kept me engaged all the way through. Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review. Really interesting characters, mystery that keeps you guessing until the end. I also Loved how the author brought 1980’s Britain to life. Would highly recommend!

Alia wants to know what happened to her dad Khalid. With her parents separated, her mum would put her on the Tube, and she'd meet her dad at a station.

Until the day in December 1987 when she was standing alone at Edgware Road.

As an adult, she knows Khalid died, but not how or why...