In her first novel Monica Ali does in brilliant job in placing her characters in their larger context. Typically novels of this genre are very demanding on readers who do not have much insight of the other culture. Monica Ali manages to interpret the complexities of …more Bangladeshi culture, especially Bangladeshi immigrant culture and make them fairly approachable to western readers.

The author takes up the issue of women's position in Bangladesh and in the immigrant community in Britain without giving it obsessive importance. She shows very adeptly how the young Bangladeshi immigrants born in the UK are struggling with their identity and struggling between the lure of white affluent drug pushers and religious extremism. The visions of ‘home’ creeps up constantly like a ubiquitous spook.
The choice of the name of the novel and the characters is brilliant. She seems to suggest that all her characters, the kindly yet bloated and ineffectual Chanu, the perceptive yet uneducated Nazneen, Dr Azad with an English wife, the ruthless usurer Mrs Islam, the natural born leader and man of action Karim and Nazneen's sister Hasina back 'home' in Bangladesh are walking in their narrow lanes and facing brick walls on all sides. Hasina takes control of her fate, as does Nazneen in the end. Monica Ali exposes a lot of malaise in both societies yet Nazneen and Hasina, central to the two poles of the narrative never lose a sense of hope and wonderment. This is very poignant against the increasingly disillusioned resignation of Chanu.

Highly recommended as this book is at once perceptive yet innocent and compassionate. (less)