Thank you so much to Crown Publishing via Netgalley for the eARC of this beautiful book! For anyone who’s been part of a family, you know how difficult family life can be. Fatima Farheen Mirza examines the life of one such beautiful and complicated family. The parents are Muslims who emigrated from India, and the children are trying to balance life in America against the strict expectations of their parents. The story weaves through time and memory in a beautiful way, so over time we learn the full family story. It is a story about love, loss, betrayal, and redemption. I highly recommend it for anyone who likes complex characters and family drama.

Are you kidding me?

Unlike the rest of the world, including sweet Sarah Jessica Parker, I did not drool over this one, unless you count the drool that appeared when I dozed off in absolute boredom. I want my hours back! Yeah yeah yeah, I know. I should have ditched it. I guess I was just committed to torturing myself.

I was so looking forward to this one, rave reviews everywhere, oh I’m sure I’ll love it. The story sounded interesting: an Indian Muslim family living in America. My balloon was full of good air but when I started reading, the great deflate began.

I’m going right to my lists. I want to be nice and say there was a small Joy Jar, but honestly, it’s a stretch for me to appreciate much about this snooze. But I’ll try.

Joy Jar

-Well written.
-Occasionally profound.
-Some psychological insight and introspection. The reasons we do the things we do, the thoughts behind our actions.
-Nuanced relationships.
-Zeroes in on the little gestures and private things we do, some unconsciously. This was cool.
-Big secrets, extensive guilt. This was interesting.
-Ended my painful procrastination streak: I FINALLY found the time to fill my Amazon cart with must-haves (like food-safe mineral oil for my new cutting board). I looked for any excuse to get away from the book.

(I know, it’s cheating to put that snarky last item on the list, but I can’t help it.)

Complaint Board

-I want noise! The whole damn thing seemed coated in Valium: the tone, the plot, the characters. A three-in-one snooze-fest! The language was so flat I was jonesin’ for some jazz. It was a mumbly monotone, I was a squeaky scream—what a show. I did get used to the quiet language, but it took me about half the book. By that time I had found a bunch of other reasons to hate it. Damn, I should beware whenever reviews say the book is quiet. Nine times out of ten, the quiet will make me climb the walls.

-Hand me the scissors. Is there an editor in the house? A big crime, since it led to prolonged torture, was that this book was WAY too long, like a hundred pages too long. Oh god, did I look at the bottom of the page! Have I really only read 7 percent of this book? Are you kidding me? Could my Kindle page-counter be malfunctioning??

-I’ve heard it all before (which sounds like a line in a croon-y country song). The characters are stereotypes: We have two good daughters, a black-sheep son, a kind mother, a nice dad with a slight temper. Everyone angsty. The plot was trite: Strict parents want their kids to follow traditions and the kids don’t want to; both parents and kids play the hide-important-things game; kids overachieve, underachieve, have forbidden crushes; blah blah blah. (I know, I know, if the story had been infused with juice, I probably wouldn’t be saying it was trite—it’s all in the telling.)

-No touchy-feely for me. I didn’t connect with the characters, partly because they were a bore and partly because they were too passive. It’s that Valium coating I was talking about. Of course, I always like the black sheep, but in this book he was MIA a lot. He was the focus, yes, but we didn’t get to see him or his point of view much.

-One daughter is one big blur. Totally in the background. Huh? Why didn’t she get developed? Just seems weird to have a family saga where one kid doesn’t have shape or voice.

-Okay, now talk to each other. Even in real life I like talkers, so it’s no surprise that a family of Quiet Ones would drive me nuts. I craved dialogue, interaction. The story is more about what doesn’t get said, and that’s all cool and nuanced. Still, I wanted more in-your-face drama.

-I only see the smoothie. I wanted to see the ingredients hopping around in the blender; I wanted to see the conflict of cultures. Instead, the book is focused on the family and its traditions, not about the problems of assimilating into American culture and not about friendships with people outside their culture. For the most part, it seems like the kids have blended in pretty well. There is some reaction to 9/11, but not enough.

-Today is just a tease. All you want to talk about is yesterday! The book starts with a wedding, but we don’t get back to the wedding until more than half the book is over. At the 59% mark, to be exact. (Of course I know this, since I was constantly looking at the Percent Read info at the bottom of the page, lol.) I was reading about the past. And reading about the past. And reading about the past….okay, can’t we please please please go back to the present? Can we please go back to today? Can we see what happens at the wedding? Don’t leave me hanging for half the book! The past isn’t presented sequentially—it jumps around--and that didn’t bother me a bit. But I would have liked it if the present had come back into focus now and then, between the blasts of the past. I was impatient to find out what was happening in the here and now. I get that the author wanted to flesh out the characters so that when we returned to the present, the actions would be loaded, but my annoyance with the structure of the story was so stubborn, I couldn’t appreciate the author’s plan.

-Religion collision. At first, there was a smattering of religion. I could handle that. I figured it was just there to convince us of how important religion was to the parents, which was reasonable. However, the entire last part of the book felt like a sermon. And as the end was approaching (oh baby let me be done with this book!), the pages became more and more full of religion. And here I was, hoping that we’d return to some drama. But oh no.

-Sorry, I don’t speak Urdu. Throughout the book, there are phrases in Urdu. This is a pet peeve of mine: I hate it when books include phrases in another language. I’m assuming the writer thinks it adds authenticity, but to me it just puts big blanks into the sentences. I don’t understand the words and phrases and I will never remember them, so what’s the point?

-Nit-picky editor at your service. Very occasionally, there was a point of view problem. And yes, occasionally the writer committed the sin of using “try and” instead of “try to.”

-Seriously? This is the ending? I can’t say what I wanted and expected to happen because I don’t want to give spoilers, but I can say that it was drama I was craving. Instead, the ending was mostly talk of religion and regrets.

I read a million 5-star reviews, many from friends, so I expected to love this book. Plus, I got sucked into the hype that Sarah Jessica Parker generated. (She has just launched a book publishing imprint and chose this as her first book.) I saw her with the author on a talk show. Parker was effusive. Man, what a salesperson! She convinced me that this book was the bending end—I was salivating to get my hands on it. But wait. Parker has always been an actress, not a book publisher. And why would I assume that she would like a book I would like? Geez.

The style of writing made me strangely uncomfortable, like it didn’t match me. It grated on my nerves instead of being soothing or wonderful. I never wanted to pick the book up.

But just about everyone in the universe loved this book, so don’t listen to me. I’m an alien.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy.

Thank you to Net Galley and Crown Publishing for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book in exchange for an honest review.
This story was so well-written. Fatima Farheen Mirza is definitely an author to savor and enjoy-I hope she continues to write great stories like this one. This is the story of an India family trying to make their way in America. Lots of heartache and secrets along the way. I especially liked the last chapters where the father, Rafiq, gets to tell his point of view. The reader is not really allowed to see what he is feeling until the end. This is a turning point in the story because the reader gets to see another side of him. I highly recommend this book!

I adored this book and have been talking about it nonstop on my blog Modern Mrs Darcy and my podcast What Should I Read Next? And to anyone else who will listen! It's also a top Summer Reading Guide pick at https://modernmrsdarcy.com/srg

Wow, just wow. It took me a long time to figure out what to think about this novel. It took me a little while to read it, just because I needed the time to savor it. A hugely relevant book about family and culture.

I was really curious about this book, the first from SJP for Hogarth. This might sound weird, but I already had an appreciation for Sarah Jessica Parker after reading about her in Chandler Burr's A Perfect Scent and was pretty sure she'd select good books to publish. I'm happy that is true. A Place for us is a gorgeous slow burn of a family saga, the kind I really enjoy reading. The family, Layla and Rafiq and their children Hadia, Huda, and Amar, take turns narrating the story (except for Huda, who remains a bit of a cipher to me), and all of them are wonderful, imperfect people who love each other but don't always know how to do or say the right thing. This is definitely not plot-driven as it's all about the characters and their relationships to one another. The family is Muslim, with parents born and raised in India and children born and raised in California. Culture and faith affect the ways they all interact and the expectations they have of one another. I loved all the characters but ended up with a soft spot for Rafiq, the father, who you only really get to know well toward the end of the book. I think this debut novel will be getting a ton of buzz and that's completely well-deserved. I hope Mirza writes more.

This is a beautiful novel. It's not just a book; it's a story about the complexities of life - at the heart of it, a family.

Rafiq (aka Baba) and Layla are parents to Hadia, Huda and Amar. The children are first generation Indian-American's, as well as Muslims. Their heritage and religion plays a large role in their lives - how they are raised, what is acceptable and what they push against. The majority of the book is told through the perspectives of Layla, Hadia and Amar.

Told through alternating points of view - the story jumps from the present (Hadia's wedding day) to the past: Layla accepting her arranged marriage to Rafiq and moving from India to California; Hadia as a child and teenager, figuring out her place in the family; Amar the black sheep, his struggles, loves, disappointments. We see what brings a family together, but also what tears it apart.

Unlike many books that follow a multi-narrator and multi-timeline technique, this story flows from one person's memory about something, to another person's memory about something completely different. But just because we haven't immediately read all three perspectives about something, doesn't mean you won't. Every memory is tied together with three perspectives, they are simply remembered and recounted to the reader at different times. It makes for a lovely way to see the full picture - to witness the disappointment of one character, only for it to be heartbreak for another one, and awe for the third one.

"A Place for Us" was divided into 4 parts - and I will admit, the real heart-wrenching, breathtaking part of the book was the end - Part 4. I enjoyed the first three parts, but kept thinking, "something is missing" - I need more. I need to feel what Rafiq was feeling. His character had such an impact on the other characters, that not having his voice made the story feel incomplete.

And then it was his turn. His turn to share his past memories: his turn to shed light on what had transpired under his roof; his turn to admit to fault and failure; his turn to strive to be better. Rafiq's voice in the final act of "A Place for Us" is what made this book so stellar. Without it, I would have missed a tenderness that is so necessary in a family.

The depth that Fatima Farheen Mirza brought to each character, as well as the story as a whole, is beautiful. She is able to shed light on the immigrant experience, the sense of "other" - not only within a community, but also within a family. Amar reminded me so very much of my younger brother - someone who never feels quite at home within the family home, and so desperately doesn't want to cause harm to those he loves, but doesn't know how not to. This is a book about so much love and so much heartbreak. It's both devastating and hopeful at the same time. It's beautifully written and tender and will leave you wanting more.

I'm so thankful for the advanced copy from Netgalley, Crown Publishing and SJP for Hogarth in return for an honest review. This should be on everyone's to be read list.

A beautiful and powerful read.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an E-arc of A Place for Us for review.

I was interested in reading this book as it is the first under SJP's new imprint - which is an odd reason for me to pick up a book, since I'm indifferent to her acting work and fashion taste-making - and also that it had been highly rated by someone I follow on goodreads. I also enjoy books about family dramas/secrets, but that was secondary to my requesting this book.

This novel explores the workaday lives of a first generation Indian-American Muslim family of five. It begins at the wedding of the eldest daughter, featuring the return of the youngest child, and only son. From there, the book is structured into 4 parts containing individual chapters - a weird thing to mention, but the narrative of the book (within each chapter) jerks wildly between years and family perspective, for no reason that I could fathom. We see small moments spanning maybe 25 years of the family. However, the jumbled up nature of the story means that moments that should land, pack a limited emotional punch because you're ripped out of that plot and cast down 5 years in the future out of nowhere. I would liken it to reading a short story collection that has gone through a blender.

Of the five members of the family, I was interested in 4 of them. Sadly, Amar, my least favourite, is the one we spend the most time with/worrying about. We completely skip over the middle child - no real clue what Huda gets up to all book. Hadia, the eldest, endures the weight of her parents expectations, in education, religion, and overall comportment. The parents, Layla and Rafiq are smaller parts in the narrative, until the fourth part, that is non-stop Rafiq.

The writing is competent, but the flow of the story is absent and the scope of the story so small, that I wouldn't recommend this book. The reading experience I would most compare this to is The Casual Vacancy - long, meandering, completely unnecessary to my library.

A story of a family trying to find their place in a new country and within themselves; finding who you really are amidst the traditions, rules and the religious confines of your family.
Sibling love and rivalry pervade much of Hadia’s tale, as she tries to find happiness and comfort for herself and her siblings.
Excellently written with familiar family issues, while being informative of a culture through its plot and intricate characters.

NetGalley sent me this book as an advanced copy. In A Place For Us the perspective switches between the 5 members of a Muslim American family as they grow up in the 90's until now. Amar, the youngest, and most rebellious is the focus. This book had some great moments and was trying to say some beautiful things but was about 200 pages too long. The perspective switching was not done very well and I found myself wishing it was a linear story. The pacing in this book was also quite bad and there were times when I struggled to continue reading. think with a better editor this could have been one of my favorite books of the year. Either way, I look forward to seeing what the author does next-she has a tremendous gift and just needs to cut out the unnecessary.

I loved this story. Hadia broke my heart. Layla broke my heart. Amar broke my heart. I wish I could have learned more about Huda, but hey ... middle child, am I right? ;)

Highly recommend this poignant novel which centers around an American-Muslim family who has gathered for the oldest daughter Hadia's wedding and the estranged son Amar has returned after running away years ago. The story reflects back in time to the events leading up Amar's disappearance and his feeling of not belonging. You come to know these characters deeply through the author's prose and depiction of even the smallest moments which reverberate as the years unfold. This novel exemplifies one of the reasons I enjoy reading in that you learn about a different culture through the story and characters. But more importantly, in this story we see the universal truths of family and relationships.

Review published on Booklover Book Reviews website: http://bookloverbookreviews.com/2018/06/a-place-for-us-by-fatima-farheen-mirza-book-review.html

One of the best books I have ever read. I found myself highlighting full pages. The writing was utterly beautiful. My favorite thing about the book was the structure of the scenes. The sections jumped around to different times/ages of the characters almost randomly. At first, I wasn't sure why it felt so haphazard...but as the story went on it made perfect sense in how we the reader got to see certain events or conversations from childhood come to play later in their life...this is hard to explain but basically...the structure was unique. I cared deeply for the characters and found myself laughing and crying with them.

5 stars to A Place for Us, an emotionally-evocative and profound story of family and belonging! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

I read A Place for Us with the Traveling Sisters, a wonderful group of avid readers here on Goodreads. I was the lone straggler, coming in with my thoughts late on this book, and while I wish I had been able to discuss more throughout reading, I felt such an intense connection to this book, I needed time to process. It was a total pleasure to read this with my sisters and an absolute honor to be chosen by Crown/SJP for Hogarth to receive physical copies for review!

A Place for Us is the story of an Indian-American Muslim family living in California. At the opening, the family has come together to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia’s, wedding. Amar, the estranged youngest brother, attends the wedding, after being away for years.

What unfolds is a gentle layering of time, past and present over decades, told in the voices of the family; all culminating in an honest portrait of this complex and loving family, with each member searching for belonging, or “place.”

A Place for Us was a book to read slowly and savor. One in which to reflect on my own life, on my family growing up, on my parents, and most especially, how small decisions made by family members can leave indelible marks. I felt profound connections to the genuine characters portrayed in this book due to the authenticity in the writing. Culture-aside, the issues at play within this family were universal; however, the culture embedded here was enlightening and thought-stirring.

Fatima Farheen Mirza has the ability to convey emotions in the most sincere and open ways, and she captures the vulnerabilities in people with honesty and grace. As with all books, each person will take away messages that are personal based on her/his own path towards identity and belonging, especially within one’s own family. A Place for Us is easily one of the best books I have ever read and gets my highest recommendation.

Thank you to the Traveling Sisters for this unforgettable group read, to Fatima Farheen Mirza for writing this treasure, Sarah Jessica Parker for selecting this book, Crown/SJP for Hogarth and Goodreads for sending us the physical copies for our group read, and to Netgalley.

This powerful debut novel examines the complicated dynamics within an Indian-American Muslim family living in California, from each perspective, over decades of their lives. Non-linear storytelling slowly builds an intricate web of relationships and emotional history. Just like real families, their story is messy and difficult and tugs at the heartstrings. This book isn't for readers who prefer plot-driven, fast paced stories. Instead, it's for readers that are patient, and want to see characters develop and grow overtime, and see how complicated family relationships affect our lives.

Every once in a while I read a debut novel that is so perfect because it’s everything I want - beautifully written with characters that have you caring about them from the beginning and a story that will not easily be forgotten. This is one of them. You might read reviews of this book both on Goodreads and in the press and see words like stunning, beautiful, powerful and I wish I could be more original and find some different words but I can only say that this book is all of those things. This is a story of an Indian Muslim family living in California, and of course, it is in so many ways about cultural traditions, religious beliefs, but at its core it is a story of a family, how much they love each other, how they make mistakes and hurt each other, how deeply they feel sorrow and regret for things they do and say, sometimes too late. They are not unlike many of us, whether we are Indian Muslim or not.

We know at the beginning that Amar, the youngest child in the family, has been gone for several years and that there is tension between him and his father, Rafiq. As he returns for his sister Hadia’s wedding, his mother Layla and sister Huda as well as Hadia are anxious about how Amar’s return will be. We move back and forth seamlessly through multiple points of view - their thoughts of the present, memories of the past, the good ones like going to see fireworks and then those not so happy, at various times in their lives as little children and teenagers, the emotions, the fear of what it was like for them after 9/11, taking us back and forth finally moving towards where they are today. This is the intimate way we get to know these characters so deeply. The narrative that perhaps struck me the most, the deepest was that of Rafiq, the father who we come to know in the last part of the book. I found some circumstances so heartbreaking and some so uplifting and I cried at both. It’s hard to say anything more than hasn’t been said in the numerous reviews, so I’ll leave it a thanks to my good friend Diane S. whose review made me know I had to read this book.

I received an advanced copy of this book from SJP for Hogarth/Crown through NetGalley.

I've read only about one quarter of this book so far, but that was enough for me to go out and buy a hardcover copy. This is a wonderful book about family, finding your identity, honoring family traditions and choosing to make independent decisions. It would be a good pick for discussion

This is a beautiful book, both visually and in it's content. It’s a slow burn, a quiet novel with such beautifully expressed thoughts that it would be impossible to read without being deeply affected. I’m in awe that this is a debut novel of a 26-year-old author. Believe all the hype and glowing reviews – this book is deserving of all of it.

The book opens in California with the wedding of Hadia, the eldest of 3 siblings in an Indian-American Muslim family. The estranged brother, Amar, surprisingly attends and stirs up deep-seated complicated family relationships. It is clear something has happened in this family to create a rift, and the reasons are slowly revealed as the story seamlessly toggles back and forth in time, in a non-chronological order. The reader wanders through the memories of this family as we experience them through various points of view. Each memory, each perspective, gives us more insight.

The last 100 or so pages are devoted to a first-person account from Rafiq, the father, and they are riveting. Reading this section tore my heart out and stomped on it, not in a manipulative way, but in a contemplative way. It’s been a long time since a book affected me this deeply.

Although an Indian Muslim family is at its center, there’s such a universality to Mizra’s writing that each reader will find it relatable in some way. Some of the themes include family dynamics, unmet expectations, betrayal, forgiveness, and acceptance. Also explored are the seemingly small, inconsequential decisions that are made every day but which have the power to create a devastasting ripple effect through the decades. It’s about bridging the gap between tradition and the modern world, and the children’s struggle to find a place in the family, in their home, and in the world. The author explores all of these themes with a tenderness and compassion that is extraordinary.

This debut of 26-year-old Mirza is the first book from Sarah Jessica Parker's imprint at Hogarth. I can’t wait to see what the author and the imprint publishes next.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a copy of the book for review.

Norma and I read A Place For Us with 15 of our Traveling Sisters. Right from the very first mention of reading this book we were excited and had no idea the incredible reading experience that awaited for us. With a few sisters who mostly stick to thrillers and were a little hesitant at first as this was not their normal read we all dived in together and were immediately drawn into this family and story.

I will not be able to beautifully put my thoughts together or write a review as beautiful as my Traveling Sisters have with their reviews but I am going to try by sharing from my heart how much this story touched us and how it made us feel.

Sometimes a book hits in ways you don’t expect and everything becomes clear as to why you read and you seek book after book chasing that incredible feeling of finding that book that really spoke to you leaving you feeling so privileged to have read it. A Place For Us was that book for us.

Fatima Farheen Mirza took us on an emotional journey like we have never experienced before and we really wished we could have been lost in a coulee for real reading this together and hiding from the demands of life to solely focus on this read and reading experience. We took our time and savored every word and moment of this beautiful and gracefully written story as well with our very meaningful discussion. Through this journey, we experienced so many emotions as we read and discussed this story together.

Fatima Farheen Mirza does an amazing job of inviting us into the lives of this Muslim family and showing us their love, their struggle to find balance, their convictions, mistakes, their inner struggles and most of all, what they held dear to them as a family. We instantly connected with them and they became our family. They became us and we could see ourselves, our neighbors and our community in them. We could truly see the magic of Mirza’s talent and her ability to bring the private parts of this family to life not just by their struggles of each finding their place within their culture and religion but also with finding their place in this world. This allowed us to see the story on a more universal level that can be related to any family.

So much emotional depth to this one and we dug deep into the layers and really took our time discussing this story. Our hearts were twisted, broken and we were in agony at times with our emotions. After finishing reading this story, some of us were left weeping and others speechless as we felt our hearts were ripped out from our chests. In the end, we all came together and shared our feelings towards this tender story that touched us in so many similar ways yet so differently at times.

For a short time, we found our place together reading this unforgettable story and it will always be a very special Sister Read for us all.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Goodreads, Sarah Jessica Parker's new imprint SJP for Hogarth, Fatima Farheen Mirza, and Penguin Random House for bringing us all together for this Incredible Traveling Sister Read by providing us with the opportunity to read and review an advanced physical copy of this book.

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