Amazing book. Definitely one of the best I have read this year. I savored every single page. Hope to read many more books by Mirza. ( )

A Place For Us is a slow burning read full of extraordinary character development; we follow the lives of three children (Hadia, Huda, and Amar) and their parents (Rafiq and Layla) as they struggle to be true to themselves while they simultaneously attempt to maintain their Indian culture and traditions.

The novel opens on the eve of Hadia's wedding, a wedding that does not hold true to the traditional procedures that her family practices, as her marriage is not arranged and she is marrying for love. There is tension in the air as her brother Amar enters the picture due to the fact that he has been estranged from the family for three years. Upon learning this, readers are transported to the past, learning about the family's experiences told through multiple perspectives. Because of the intimate nature of these flashbacks, at times it feels as though you're an invasive family member who has been examining your relatives’ lives as a fly on the wall, getting deeply personal glimpses into the secrets that have been slowly but surely unfolding for years. It is a stunning portrait of an Indian-American Muslim family that examines love, value, loyalty, tradition, betrayal, and belonging.

Part 4 of this novel was absolutely exquisite. I wish I could say more about it, but I'm afraid I would ruin your experience. All I can say is that it was a pleasant surprise that left be teary-eyed.

As I mentioned, this book is rather slow, so I wouldn't recommend it to those looking for a story with a traditional "rising action-climax-falling action-resolution" structure. But for those looking to read a truly touching story full of love and vulnerability, I would highly recommend it. ( )

When I started to skim this book, I decided to quit. Maybe not the right book right now. Too much change of time and points of view ( )

Family drama about a Muslim family living in Northern California. The parents, Layla and Rafiq, were born in India. Rafiq had moved to the US, and Layla joined him in an arranged marriage. Their three children, Hadia, Huda, and Amar, were born in America. As the story opens, eldest daughter Hadia is getting married and has invited her estranged brother, whom they have not seen in three years. Hadia and her betrothed have chosen to marry for love. At the heart of the story is the divergence of the children from the parental traditions and Amar’s relationship to his family members. It is a story of identity, belonging, alienation, family dynamics, cultural conflict, and religion.

The story is beautifully written. It portrays tensions between the parents and teenage children, the desire to gain parental approval, and sibling rivalries. It is told in non-linear fashion from multiple perspectives – flashbacks and memories are interspersed with accounts in present time.

Due to the number of perspectives, the reader obtains pieces of the family history in a fragmented fashion. The upside is that we get to see the generational divide and can eventually piece together the characters’ motivations. The downside is that it feels disjointed and repetitive. Events occur almost haphazardly between past and present. The reader cannot fully relate to the characters’ emotions at the time since we do not know the full picture of what has happened.

Be prepared to dive deeply into the family’s dynamics. The story consists of the details of daily life. Differences in perceptions lead to misunderstandings, arguments, and ultimately, to Amar’s estrangement. It is almost too low key, even for me, and I am the queen of low key. From the average rating, it is obvious that many people loved this book, but I can only say I liked it.
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