Sara L

Both The Friend, by Sigrid Nunez (winner of the 2018 National Book Award) and Asymmetry, by Lisa Halliday (The New York Times and New Yorker Best of 2018 Lists) are books featuring writers as the central character. The Last Romantics, by Tara Conklin, is narrated by a centenarian poet of "some renown" as she relates the story of her family. The book explores the impact of trauma on four siblings and its effect on each of them personally and collectively. It serves as both a tribute and an assessment of love--familial as well as romantic - in terms of how much we owe others and at what cost to ourselves. Book clubs will love this one!

A Place for Us is an epic story of a Muslim Indian American family living in California. It is not surprising that actor Sarah Jessica Parker has chosen it to be the first book on the SJP for Hogarth list, her new line of Crown Publishing titles comprised of works by established and emerging critically successful authors.

Timely in its subject-matter and exquisitely written, Mirza's story embodies universal themes while highlighting the immigrant experience unique to Muslims. On the opening pages, we find a family preparing for the wedding of their eldest daughter, Hadia, and the return of their son, Amar. Amar has been in self-exile after years of mounting tension with his father, Rafiq. The book examines cultural and interpersonal dynamics as well as events leading up to this point.

Layla and Rafiq, parents of Hadia, Huda, and Amar, are devout Muslims who raise their children in the rich traditions, stories, and beliefs of their religion. Mirza weaves many of the prayers and customs, followed reverently by Layla and Rafiq, into the plot and shows how central a role the Mosque plays in the lives of the community. But when their American born children develop ideas of their own, tension builds.

This is most evident in their youngest child, Amar. Amar is both dreamy and rebellious. He likes to write. He reads poetry. But he is a poor student and this provokes his father's disdain. He pushes boundaries to an extreme and begins a pattern of risk-taking behavior that culminates in tragedy.

Mirza has written a moving portrayal of a family in crisis. It poses the question of who, if anyone, is responsible for the self-destructive behavior of a family member. Rafiq and Hadia wrestle with this question—even on the day of her marriage.

A Place for Us is a beautifully told story of one immigrant family trying to find a place in American society. It explores the difficulty of loving more fully and less conditionally. Ultimately, the book is about acceptance, forgiveness, and hopefully, redemption.