A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for Us* is a character-driven, intergenerational tale of an Indian American Muslim family. Parents Rafiq and Laila, originally from Hyderabad, India, immigrate to the US and raise their children Hadia, Huda, and Amar in California. The story unfolds through three points of view, Laila, the eldest daughter Hadia, and the son Amar.
Review
I’m not sure what I was expecting when I picked up A Place for US, but I know I wasn’t expecting it to be a cerebral, reflective look at the human condition. At times I found the plot challenging on a personal level. There is much I can relate to in the story. My parents immigrated to the US from Pakistan. Rafiq and Laila’s desires for their children’s lives, the family’s involvement at their Mosque, and how their social lives revolve around the Mosque Community more than their school friends, was familiar to me.
The relationship dynamics and points of contention in the book vary from my own experience. But the underlying essence of the struggle is the same. A Place for Us conjured up memories I had unpacked and put to rest a long time ago. And while that can be uncomfortable, it is also why Mirza’s writing is brilliant. She has a talent for both observation and translating what she sees into prose. The various narrators are all believable. She takes the time to show the relationships between siblings, parents, and children from each perspective with poignancy. And it’s worth noting that Mirza was in her 20s at the time of publication.
There were parts of the book I did not enjoy. But ultimately, A Place for Us moved me. And the reason for this lies in the final chapters. Rafiq concludes the book by sharing his regrets and hopes. The end of the book is what ultimately made me love it, but it is also the most emotional part. I have not cried reading a book in a long time. I think it was over a decade ago when I read The Kite Runner*.
Final Thoughts
Fatima Farheen Mirza’s debut novel is a medium length at 385 pages. But it is paced slow. And it took me over a month to finish. A Place for Us isn’t the kind of book that will keep you up all hours of the night while you deceive yourself into thinking you’ll just read one more chapter. I took my time with A Place for Us, and I suggest you do too.
A Place For Us
★★★★★
