A Place for Us: A Novel Hardcover – June 12, 2018

This book was exhausting — and not in a good way. I don’t like to give up on a book, but I wish I had given up on this one at the first time-jump.The author’s decision to tell the story in the most tangled way imaginable made what might have been a decent story a total waste of time. As anyone who reads anything these days knows, the technique of multiple perspectives/timelines is very popular. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it is so frustrating for the reader. This book tops the list of that second category.In each chapter, trying to pinpoint whose point of view I was hearing AND figuring out from elusive phrases how old the three children were so that I could know where in the plot (and I use the term loosely) I was gave me headache after headache. I was never sure if I was reading a flashback, a backstory, or a flash-forward. When I got to Part Four, all I could think was, “What NOW?” The answer to that was that I would be subjected to “reliving” everything that happened in the first three parts from yet a different character, one who had been present and active throughout the first three parts but whose viewpoint had not yet been heard. Oh, joy! I ended up skimming most of Part Four’s 1200 Kindle “pages” (the paperback novel is around 400 pages, and my Kindle format shows the total “locations” to be around 5900).Part of what makes this book so tortuously long is the author’s repeated reporting of every single thought in a character’s head — even the character in Part Four, who gives his own motivations, thoughts, reactions, and emotions for every event and situation already related in the first three parts of the novel. Yes, a knowledge of the characters’ inner workings are important to their development, but a story can have too much of that, especially when SO much of it is unendingly repetitious. In spite of knowing all that went on the characters’ heads and hearts, I felt little empathy for any character in this novel — except maybe Huda, one potentially main character whose thoughts we never really know. Maybe that’s something for which I should be grateful. With four separate parts to this novel, one would hope that the last part would include a satisfactory ending. Not so — and that just made the loss of time and the frequent headaches even more regrettable.Does this author have the gift of writing? Probably. However, it’s suffocated by the unclear transitions from one character or time to another.Save yourself a frustrating read. Find another book on which to spend your time.

All individuals are a unique sum of their life experiences, so much so that reading the same book at different stages in your life sometimes results in completely different reactions. The place where I am right this moment in my life made A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza resonate with me very deeply.The book starts off with the wedding of Hadia, the eldest daughter of Rafiq and Layla. We are immediately made aware of the tensions within the family, as Amar, the youngest and only son, returns after 3 years of leaving his family, to do his duty by his sister. In all this, there is also Huda, the typical middle child, overlooked by not only by the family, but also by the author herself.As we go back and forth in time, we are given a glimpse into the life of a Muslim couple who moves to the US from India, and try to bring up their three children according to Muslim and Indian traditions and culture. As is the case in most cases, the children all try to rebel in their own individual way.Being a parent bringing up my kids in a foreign land, while I understand the worries of the parents and their fear of the children losing their religion, I don't agree with trying to scare them into conforming. As this book shows, pulling the strings too tight causes them to break ultimately. When you have two children who are good at being obedient, it is natural to assume that the same mode of parenting will work on the third. Most of the time this is not so. We, as parents, know our children better than anyone else, and this is why sometimes we need to keep our egos aside and change our ways in order to avoid regrets later.The book jumps from one time to another without any warning, and as the pattern starts becoming evident, you realize the importance of all the different instances from the eyes of three people, Hadia, Amar and Layla. We see how small betrayals and forgotten reactions all lead to the eventual breaking up of this loving family. We also see how people form opinions according their own understanding of the situation, instead of trying to find the real facts.It is very sad that open communication is something that is lacking in most of our interactions, especially when it comes to families. In most families, the father is considered the one who lays down the laws, the disciplinarian, the person his own children are hesitant to approach. In such families, the mother assumes the role of the middleman, the one who is responsible for changing the father's mind. No one realizes that some things are lost in translation when you have indirect communication. This can sometimes cause rifts in families that become almost impossible to breach over time.As I read the book, there were a few instances where I felt that the writer did give in to stereotypes, and the constant strain of "The Ali Boy" was really getting on my nerves. So, I was completely ready to give this book 4 stars and move on. Then came the last part.What was missing in the whole book was there in the last part. As I read about a man trying to do his best by his family, I couldn't help but feel for that man. A person brought up to hide his feelings can never feel comfortable letting his emotions show. The way Mirza has written about Rafiq's thoughts is moving and heart wrenching. The struggles of a father who is unable to voice his love for his children, are brought to life in the last part of the book. I couldn't help but think of my own father, who while lying in bed, too sick to move, and in so much pain, was worried about how he had been unfair to his son! It all felt personal, and I want to admit that I cried while reading the last part of this beautiful book.This is a book that is meant for everyone. I even found myself wanting my teenage son to read it even if only to understand how parents love their children in their own different ways. A beautiful book that will stay with me for a long time.

I’m so frustrated by the things people say about You. Imply about You.Their experience with You.Without You really. Their experience without You.Is religion really so many rituals for everyone. Read this, believe this, do this. Empty. Rituals. With nothing inside. No air to breathe. No life. Who wants that.But with You, I feel Alive. I can breathe. I can be me. I get strength to face my pain. To face my limitations. I find ease and comfort and Love and Protection.And they find rules and regulations. And constriction. And a need to escape into that other world. Of freedom. Of independence. Of love.Freedom from You is just bondage though. Isn’t that what has made me sick for so long. And love is so weak when it’s not Yours. It broke. Apart. In my hands so many times now. How could I base my entire life on this fragile, delicate feeling that can flit away just like that. I already tried that. I’ve watched so many others try it. And feel alone.What lies do we keep feeding our young people.A world without You is not a world to live in. There is no air there. There is no peace and hope there.I feel so protective. So upset. So sad for the others. How do i make it different. How do I change it. How do I stand for You.I am a stranger in this land of beliefs. Glad tidings to the stranger.

As the feedback was so good on this book and it was recommended by SJP I was eager to get my hands on this. I found it really hard to get into, and kept waiting for something to happen but nothing really ever did. I gave up reading 3 quarters into the book, I had no will to finish it whatsoever, most boring read this year! Dont bother, and dont believe all the hype.

I really wanted to love this book. I was intrigued by the description and I am always keen to pick up books by new authors, but unfortunately this book did not deliver.Whilst I enjoyed reading about the different characters, I found the changing perspective and time period to be jarring and ultimately it pulled me out of the story. Additionally, I felt that for such a long book there was a lot of detail missing to explain the motivation behind the actions of the characters. I didn't feel emotionally connected to the characters, and this was a shame because I felt there could have been a lot of potential to this story.There were however, odd sentences where I found the writing to be particularly beautiful and I could relate to the observations. But unfortunately this was not enough to make up for the disconnected narrative and the lack of character development.

Bloody hell. To say this exceeded my expectations is an understatement. She tells the story through each family member with such great insight and in a way that most Muslim families in the West could relate to. You find yourself routing for them all throughout, understanding each character's point of view and plight. I was hooked, just wow.

I am a Sunni Muslim.Most of my life, I have been reminded time and time again of the divide between Sunni and Shi'a.I saw myself and my loved ones in every character of this book and it moved me in ways I couldn't have foreseen.I have been moved to tears by this story and completely taken in by the writing. This book was a journey I have enjoyed taking.

As soon as I began reading the novel I did not want to put it down. Sometimes some parts were so well written, so wise, that I would re-read them. It was beautifully written, and characters were well drawn. I hope that the writer does write a sequel.