Title: A Place For Us
Published in: 2018
Plot: The novel focuses on the varied experiences of an Indian-Muslim family living in Northern California, striving to find a balance between tradition and modernity. The family of five is left to search for home in a metaphorical and literal sense. The audience is given glimpses of the family life from the beginning, from Layla finding out about Rafiq’s proposal, to the two of them arriving in America, and their three children later finding themselves stuck between living their own lives and the lives their parents and culture expect them to follow.
Trivia: It is the first book published by Sarah Jessica Parker's new imprint, SJP for Hogarth.
The discussion leader started out by saying this is the book that has touched him the most throughout our book club. He said even though he’s not from India and was not raised Muslim, he found himself relating to a lot of the characters and situations. “I grew up LDS, and there are similarities in terms of expectations,” he said. This notion guided a lot of our conversation, as many of the group were either raised LDS, are currently LDS, or know a lot of LDS folks.
Conversations about the role of parental expectations let readers open up in ways we hadn’t heard before. One reader said he gives his children “tough love.” “I love them so much and want them to be the best version of themselves. I don’t care what other kids do. But I want my kids to be the best.” Another reader said when he was younger, his dad was an LDS bishop. He said in his experience, obedience was a big part of his religious upbringing. He could easily relate to that aspect of the novel, where the parents, particularly the dad, often equated love and obedience.
The group talked about different parenting styles they either experienced or hoped to implement. Is it better to show tough love? Is it difficult to be more “free” and be fine with whatever choices your children make? How do parents and children internalize expectations? They thought the book was so specific in the sense that it deals with this one family, but that there was so much they could relate to.
We had a longer discussion regarding Part 4 of the novel, where we hear the father’s thoughts. “I saw my relationship with my father in the end here,” said one reader. The group loved the ending, saying how powerful it is. “Parents are trying their best, most of them,” said one reader. “And we don’t realize that until we’re adults and have kids of our own.” The aspect of the father waiting for the son was beautiful, the group thought.
One reader brought up a quote from the author, saying how it is a privilege to have access to the thoughts of these characters. The group appreciated how developed the characters are. “I feel like I have a good sense of who these people are and what drives them,” said one reader. He liked spending time with this family and seeing how they navigated life. And isn’t that one of the beautiful aspects of reading—spending quality time with fleshed out characters? This book was a big hit with the group. They had some good questions for the author, so we’re hoping to hear back from her!
That’s it for this week’s discussion. The next discussion will be on Zadie Smith’s White Teeth. Although, we may try to watch an episode of The Sympathizer if we can. We hope you’re reading something good.
Until then,
E.
If you would like to read A Place for Us, here are some links: