Ayesha at Last

More of a 3.5.

This has been a year for desi P&P retellings, so I was very excited when the US release date for this book was announced and I also managed to get the ARC. I had heard a lot of good things about it, but I kept my expectations normal because I feel P&P doesn't always translate to contemporaries very well and I didn't wanna be totally disappointed. So I'm quite happy to report that I had fun reading this book.

Both Ayesha and Khalid are in their late 20s but their views on what they want to do and how they want to get married are drastically different. Ayesha maybe a substitute teacher but her true passion is poetry, even though she tries to curb that side of her because it's not practical and she wants to support her family. She is religious, always dons her hijab, is very very loyal to her family but is also pretty liberal in her views. She is also not very interested in marriage but there are instances when she wonders about how she will find her true love or happiness, and I really empathized with her. Khalid on the other hand is much more conservative and socially awkward, has decided to let his mom pick his wife because he thinks it's the right thing to do, and is quite adamant in his belief that love and happiness comes after marriage. He is actually very sweet and kind (mostly) but because of his attire, people always tend to make harsh judgments about him.

There is the usual misunderstandings and prejudices that come into play like in P&P when they start interacting with each other, and I quite enjoyed their dynamic develop. They are actually quite judgmental about the other many times through the story but Khalid learns a lot and grows into someone who is more accepting. Ayesha apologized a bit too but I didn't see the same amount of growth in her. But the way their friendship blossomed, how they couldn't stop falling for each other but still tried to for the sake of their families and their mutual pining really made this a nice romcom.

The writing was quite easy to get through, even though it felt a little off at times. The use of Urdu words in between was amazing, but there were a lot of Shakespeare references too that took me out of the story a bit (it's a personal problem though and other readers might really enjoy it). I liked that the author tries to represent different kinds of Muslims in her story - from the more conservative and faithful to those on the more liberal side of the spectrum, and everywhere in between. The whole desi “aunty brigade” who are nosy and all up in your business, our obsession with early marriages, every MIL's search for a docile daughter in law and all the mama's boys made for very nostalgic reading and reminded me of so many people in my own extended family. I was actually delighted to see that both the families in this story are originally from Hyderabad, my hometown in India and it made me feel like going home soon. The tone of book was very humorous for most of the first half and I really enjoyed it, but it turns into a lot of drama in the latter half. While the author sensitively tackles issues like workplace harassment and Islamophobia, I think it went a little too far, especially with the horrible boss. There are also too many other subplots and each of the supposed villains felt like extreme caricatures, which made the second half of the book overly dramatic and bit dragged on.

Overall, this was a mostly sweet and fun romcom to read which I finished rather quickly. If you like Jane Austen retellings and would love some desi Muslim representation in them, then this is a lovely book to read. It can get tad over the top at times but it's mostly very enjoyable.

I've been reading several retellings lately, and I've learned that what I like in a retelling is for it to be faithful to the spirit of the original but bring something new to the story. This book definitely accomplishes both. Ayesha at Last is a Pride and Prejudice retelling set in a Muslim Indian-Canadian community in Toronto. This turns out to be a great setting for a P&P story, particularly within a culture of matchmaking by parents. The Darcy character, Khalid, is very observant of his faith, disapproves of the behavior of people around him, and is committed to marrying the woman his mother chooses for him. The Elizabeth character, Ayesha, is trying to find her own way while being supportive of her family and thinks she isn't interested in love at all. The story follows the beats of P&P in creative ways. As I find to be common in many romances, the dialogue was stilted at times and the pacing was off, but in general, I enjoyed this book, and it's one of my favorite retellings.

A loose adaptation of Pride and Prejudice to a modern-day Muslim community in Toronto. I loved the author's writing style and wanted to spend more time with these characters, especially Ayesha (of course). The whole mistaken identity at the mosque meeting that leads to Khalid being engaged to Ayesha's cousin was kind of silly, and I don't know why it would have persisted for that long, but I'll chalk that up to romance novel. Khalid's mother was a little one-dimensional and I would've liked for her to have an extra layer or two, but the rest of the major characters were so well-developed and seemed like real people. I'm excited to read whatever Jalaluddin writes next!

Two minor notes:
1) Cover LOVE - it's so gorgeous with the gold and purple and then that little pop of lipstick.
2) Re Clara: I don't quite know who she and her boyfriend were supposed to be in the P&P adaptation. Clearly Hafsa is Lydia and Tarik is Wickham and Khalid's mom is Lady Catherine, but I guess maybe Clara is Jane? Anyway, her boyfriend is a scrub and not worthy of her.

(2019 summer romance bingo: “title includes character's name”; could also count for “heroine smells like a flower.”)

Uh okay this book was kinda nuts, 2/5. I have two big problems with it: Firstly, the friction and dynamics between characters in P&P was along the faultlines of class and socioeconomic differences. this book transposes that into differences in religious interpretations - Ayesha and Khalid are both Muslim but they both interpret their religion differently which impacts the way they live life. that's already such a can of worms. the portrayal of Islam in this one just felt a little too... idk... there's a lot in this that Western audiences may not be able to understand, and I think not enough was done to explain the meaning and significance behind these religious/cultural observances so non-Muslims can get a deeper insight into the community. Secondly, the storytelling in this one was just kinda cringey. A lot of the characters felt like cartoon villains (Sheila in particular), and a lot of times people were just making really random-ass decisions that didn't make sense, so it all felt really contrived for Plot Reasons. The plot twists right at the end of the book were very reminiscent of telenovelas, and especially because they were all just so over the top and unrealistic.

*3.5 STARS

It was good! Honestly would have been better if the author had simply let it be P&P-inspired rather than a retelling. A few of the plotlines - and one scene in particular - were very clearly only there to tie the story back to P&P. It would have been a stronger and more compelling story without them. I still enjoyed it, though! Will be reading more from this author, for sure.