We Meant Well had an intriguing premise and certainly succeeded in dissecting the role of the 'humanitarian'. I enjoyed the immediate style of narration and the slow build of tension -- although we understand that something bad has happened the novel snakes its way around to addressing it. The book left me with much to think about and respected that it asks more questions than it can answer; the strange power dynamics of those who give up their lives to 'help' the less fortunate but then want something back set an eerie tone. Unfortunately, I don't think the plotting was as strong. I didn't gel at all with the romance and the ending didn't quite land in the way I hoped it was.

We Meant Well is a title that truly fits this story. From the beginning to end the storytelling draws you through and keeps you turning the pages
The characters and settings are so well written and the delicate topic.of rape was handled with such grace but provided the insight of another culture and how delicate the balance between helping and hurting can be. It was well written, insightful and very easy to read. The ending was twist, hope you give this one a read. You will not be disappointed.

Engaging, well written and well paced. I read We Meant Well in two sittings. It’s a thought-provoking, emotional story that digs deep into many questions surrounding western influence and involvement in other countries and cultures. Maya, the protagonist is dispatched to investigate a rape allegation, but her own personal circumstances muddy the waters.
Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for the Chance to read an ARC. We Meant Well is published in the UK on 11 April 2023.

We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan is beautifully written, with well-drawn characters, I read it in one sitting to know the ending and WoW what a conclusion it was. I was left stunned and delighted and thinking about it long afterwards.
This book raises ethical questions for the reader about providing aid and about what to do when things go terribly wrong. The answers are not easy. We Meant Well is wrestles with the question of whether foreign aid groups do as much good as they do harm.

Hasan, is a Sustainable Development Consultant for various UN agencies, giving the book a unique and valuable perspective.


Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

We’re all Maya at some point. Unreliable narrator, because all humans are, and how she shook her confidence and her ability to actually help people.

Thank you for granting me access to this incredible novel.
The premise drew me in and I was a bit skeptical that the topic at the heart of the novel might not get treated well but damn, I'm in awe. The pacing of the novel is done so well and I appreciated how everything unfolded. Also, the prose is so gorgeous!

A fascinating topic for a novel the setting is an unnamed African country and the dichotomy between the aid workers aims and needs and those of the local population
I personally really wanted to know exactly where the book was set but the author chose to not make this clear I even googled the towns mentioned but only found pages about the novel
I was immediately grabbed by the storyline and wanted to know more and enjoyed the pace the novel moves along at a fast rate keeping my interest .i liked the twist at the end
The characters were well defined particularly the foreigners who were the focus of the story ,the black Africans were rather two dimensional in contrast which helped build the us and them feeling of aid workers under siege..There were some moments when the tone of the writing felt rather lecturing to me I don’t like feeling that I’m being preached to in literature I prefer to make my own decisions
I read an early copy on of the book on NetGalley Uk the book is published in the Uk on 11 April 2023 by ECW Press

"one gets used to anything"

"how complicated our helping becomes. how very particular and measured"

For me, these two quotes sum up this incredible novel so well and succinctly. This story focuses on an aid worker, Maya, who is caught between the community she has created with the local people in the fictional Lakanni and the white helper who has been accused of a disturbing act of violence.

Hasan bridges these two worlds- the similarities and differences so beautifully. This novel is heart breaking, angering, and really puts needed strain on the idea of white saviourism.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the e-arc.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a powerful novel designed to make you think. The pacing is a bit slow though, especially the front half. I felt like there was too much inner musing inside Mayas head. Given the situation, its natural that she'd question everything, but I felt like the author wrote out her questions far too often and repetitively.

It took me quite along time to pick this book to be honest. But I'm so glad I did, I breezed through it. I like the premise, how humanitarian lofe is shown and described, how even in that career politicking exists.

I have so many emotions while reading this book, pain, despair, brokenheartedness. And the main topic – rape – was handled masterfully. The book showed me how a culture I am not familiar with handles this kind of situation and I was able to understand them better.

But my greatest takeaway I think is the title itself, even though we meant well, the end result is not always the best for other people. We have to walk in their shoes to understand.

Erum Shazia Hasan is a Canadian author living in Toronto, and this is her debut novel. She draws on her experience working in the international non-profit sector. We Meant Well is a raw and honest look, from a Western lens, at the moral quandaries that this type of work entails. US-based senior administrator Maya is called to visit the rural village of Likanni in an unnamed war-torn country. One of their white male staff has been accused of a crime against a local Black woman, and Maya has to manage the fallout.

This well-written story is a minefield of ethical issues. Maya takes us on this journey away from our comfortable lives to an area of the world where people lack food and personal security, though are rich in community and family bonds. The novel explores issues of race and privilege. Power dynamics are exquisitely apparent, both overt and subtle.

Each decision a charity or an individual makes has intended and unintended consequences. Aid organizations have to decide who they can help and who they cannot. Corporate interests also play a role: A mining company starts an operation, and brings local jobs but displaces thousands, and horrific suffering results. With regard to Maya's current mission in Likanni, what she choses to do truly matters. If she seeks justice for the aggrieved woman and her family, the charitable work could be jeopardized, and the hundreds of orphan children they care for will be abandoned.

Hasan also delves into the contradictions within people. Aid workers want to help, yet want the comforts of the first world. Maya cares about the people she helps, but can opt out anytime by heading home. There’s an inability to feel at home in either world: always a rich foreigner in Likanni, and always guilty with each excess in the West.

Half way through, I was curious about where Hasan was going to take us. Can well off countries and people help without harming? It’s tempting to throw one’s hands up in despair. I don’t think that’s Hasan’s message. Rather, help is needed, but the current system is flawed and needs to be rethought. Any charitable work in developing nations will need to involve those being helped for it to be meaningful.

The ending seemed abrupt: There was no pat answer, no nicely penned concluding paragraph. Things continued to be a mess, which mirrors real life. A complex ending to a complex situation. It was an excellent novel to get me thinking about an issue I knew little about, and I think this would be an interesting book club selection.

Thanks to Netgalley and ECW Press for an ARC of this book in exchange for my unbiased review.

I couldn’t put this down. From the characters to the setting to the discussions around aid work and cultural perceptions, it was well written, insightful and very easy to read. The ending was a real twist and left me wanting to know more.

What a treat this book was! I had no idea what to expect, and I was blown away by the experience of reading it. I really enjoy books that shine a light on a portion of the world that’s otherwise a mystery to me. I’ve often times wondered how aid workers feel about the developing countries they serve in, how altruistic are their motivations and how are scandals handled in such large organizations where the abuse of power can so easily get brushed under the rug (because what’s one more atrocity in a sea of far worse atrocities). This book spoke to all these things in a refreshingly candid way.

The author also handled the sensitive topic of sexual assault with a kind of grace I was certain people had forgotten. It did not feel the need to divulge unnecessary details on it to invoke a sense of horror. It neither minimized the tragedy nor did it resort to cheap rhetoric to draw empathy.

Other things I loved about the book: the non-romanticized description of humanitarian work, the reality of a wife who is too weary to plan a loud confrontation of a cheating husband, the bureaucratic red tape in all large organizations.

I’m still sitting on the ending, and I don’t yet know how I feel about it, but I do know I feel like I experienced something different with this book.

“We Meant Well” is a touching, intense reading. Pain, anger, indignation, hope. This is not just a novel, but also a journey in the intimacy of those who work in the humanitarian field, an account of the burdensome responsibility of charity, and of the huge suffering of victims, which it’s so hard to remedy, neither with the best intentions. Erin Shazia Hazan narrates about Maya, a young American woman with Bangladeshi heritage, working as a humanitarian operator, to whom was entrusted of the difficult task to investigate and to understand whether her former colleague has assaulted the young Lele, the local collaborator of the NGO that operates in the functional Likanni to help orphans. How to condemn someone with whom one has worked for a long time? How not to believe in that very smart, young woman, victims of a terrible crime? It’s a heartwrenching story, which put the readers an issue that seems to have no solutions, that forces them to look inside themselves, to fight against their own biases, that sometimes a cliché is the truth.
Hazan is a brave author, who deeply knows the topic of charity and international cooperation, how much is at stake when operating in apace where you don’t belong to, how to mediate with the local population and embrace those traditions which appear so distant to foreigners.
I held the breath while reading, and although I expected that ending, it was still able to surprise me. Even though I don’t really like this kind of writing style, and I find the narration a little hurried, I enjoyed diving into the world of Likanni and imagining myself working next to Maya and Chantal, learning from their experience. “We Meant Well” has thrilled me and made me cry. I loved this book, and as someone who dreams to work in international cooperation field, it taught me a lot, and showed me as difficult is to work in these complex and delicate realities.
An amazing debut from Hazan! I’m looking forward reading the future works by this talented author.

Emaciated mothers surrounded by starving children, all with empty eyes staring into a lens. Terrifying videos showing the results of ethnic cleansing. Crowded refugee camps “guarded” by untrained teen-aged boys carrying automatic weapons with hair triggers. Isn’t there something I can do? Isn’t there something I should do?

Erum Shazia Hasa clearly knows this terrain. Her rich debut, “We Meant Well”, tells the story of an NGO (Non-governmental organization) that focuses on orphans. The agency is renowned internationally for giving children who are the residue of senseless violence at least a slight chance to live a better life. It is well-financed by prominent institutional and individual donors.

The fictional community of Likanni is depicted by Hasa in all its beauty and poverty. Maya has dedicated a good portion of her life to this work, for many years based in a remote field office. She stepped back a few years ago to focus on her own life - marrying, having a child, living a comfortable existence in LA. But suddenly she is called to return. There are existential challenges that only she can manage. Maya is welcomed back with open arms - Bigabosse is back.

Hasa does a wonderful job of introducing characters to enrichen the layers of complexity in this world. She describes some who have come with a White Savior, hero complex, others to enrich themselves by extracting resources. She focuses on the plight of women forced to exist in a patriarchy in both the 1st world and 3rd. She depicts the impossibility of moving between realities, eventually discovering that the only reality that you can have is your own.

“We Meant Well” is a sad story, but still cunningly leaves the reader with hope.

Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for the eARC.

We Meant Well by Erum Shazia Hasan was a jaw dropping novel with a touch of psychological thriller. This was one of the most unique stories I have ever heard and while it isn't necessarily totally a thriller, this certainly kept me on the edge of my seat. This deals with pretty sensitive topics so please check the trigger warnings!

dnf @ 40%

i really couldn't get into the writing style and it was putting me in a reading slump.

maybe i'll pick it up again, but i doubt it.

*** Thank you to NetGalley and ECW Press for an early release copy of We Meant Well in exchange for an honest review of the book. ***

We are following Maya an American who has spent most of her adult life working for an organization dedicated to running orphanages in the Likanni area. Maya is currently working a more hands off role from the states when she gets a call to pack her bags up and go to Likanni. One of her staff members is under scrutiny following the accusations of a local girl. Maya must make the trip to Likanni and find the truth. She must trust her instinct on what happened, and it becomes a who do you believe situation.

I found this novel completely intoxicating, I could not put this down. The writing was fast paced for the most part. In areas where Maya’s investigation was at a standstill, we got to see glimpses at her life. To the native who has so little Maya’s life seems perfect and happy, but beyond every perfectly manicured lawn there are secrets that are anything but perfect.

Maya tries to navigate the accusations made against her employee in a way that protects the organization, but also gives validation to the victim. I think of how difficult the whole situation was and the unbelievable amount of pressure placed on Maya. I found that the ending was open ended, and I must discuss with someone before my head explodes!

I loved the social commentary that the book is named after, We Meant Well. The idea that this organization was but in place to help the children of Likanni and now they are being accused of something horrible.

I think this book will do great and I am very happy to have read it!

I’m thrilled to be one of the first to review We Meant Well. It’s a terrific book…easily one of my top 5 favorites for the year. It’s beautifully written, with well-drawn characters, and I raced through it to discover its conclusion. What a conclusion it was, too. I was left stunned and delighted.

Maya is a dedicated humanitarian who has overseen an orphanage for years in a very small village in Africa called Likanni. She has retired to her home in California when she gets a call in the middle of the night that a colleague of hers back in Likanni has been accused of rape by a young Likanni girl, Lele, who has worked with the orphanage for years as a protégé of Maya’s. When Maya returns to the village, she finds the locals protesting at the orphanage. Lele accuses Marc of rape, but Marc maintains his innocence. Maya faces the difficult task of sorting out what happened, all while dealing with problems within her own family and a forbidden attraction.

This book worked for me on many levels – the location, the people (both humanitarian and local) and the fallout from the rape accusation. All added to create a suspenseful, wonderfully told story. Highly recommended.

Thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press for providing an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I absolutely devoured this book, like a car crash of cringe that I simply couldn't stop looking at. Hasan has managed to capture the tension between being a foreigner in a developing country, ostensibly to "help," but quickly realizing that the systems in place mean you will never be able to make any sort of actual change.

I was overwhelmed with the different perspectives Hasan was able to incorporate, probably because she has done this work for years and has seen these people in real life. The man on a mission who becomes embittered towards locals, the French woman who hugs children but never goes to visit her colleague in the village after she was raped, the American aid worker who is Brown and therefore enjoys the privilege she finds in a Black culture as an American aid worker, the couple who become citizens of the developing country and truly try to make small changes that minimize harm and encourage others to do the same.

The thing that struck me the most is how the protagonist, Maya, walks the line between reliable and unreliable. I believed her, I trusted her perspective, and felt she was usually trying to do the right thing, but never once did Maya consider helping people in her own community in the U.S., never once had Maya considered that local doctors might be just as capable, if not more, than "the [foreign] good ones" never once had Maya considered minimizing harm at home, feeling she would be called a "social justice warrior."

I have never been an aid worker but I am an avid traveler, and I really felt the tensions at play in this book as realistic depictions. The world is broken, colonialism remains but in different packages and with more friendly advertising, and none of us know how to fix it. All we can do is try to see each other as fellow humans, work with those in our community and not just those worlds away, and try our very best to make daily choices that don't contribute to suffering or exploitation. Easy, right? Maybe not, but Hasan made all of this tension feel natural, and I'll be thinking about this one for a very long time.