First off, I LOVE the cover of this book. You see the image here. It is simple, straightforward and doesn't classify this book as "chick lit." And it's not!
It's a story of a Bangladeshi woman, Amina who at age 24 moves to Rochester, NY to marry George, a civil engineer, who she met online.
This marriage offers a chance for a new life for both of them. But the complications of marriage and emotion challenge the relationship.
Amina's parents are one challenge. They live in Bangladesh and have major family issues to deal with. Cultural differences play a major part in this book and that is one reason why it is so engaging. George and Amina come from such different families and places; their union is challenged before it even begins. It is "understood" that Amina's parents will come and live with them in their house in Rochester once the marriage is complete and her citizenship in place. That is simply "the way" that Deshi families live. But not so with American families!
The family stories here are rich and varied; both the American and Deshi families are described in depth, giving the reader an insight into life in the two very different life styles.
September 11 figures in the story but only indirectly; I was surprised, actually, that it was not a bigger part of the rift between Amina and George.
In summary, this was a great novel and I would highly recommend it.
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