I'm a big 'always judge a book by its cover' kind of person, so if this hadn't have been a book club read for me I honestly could say I think I'd have gone my whole life without every getting anywhere near reading this book. Sometimes a book that I think is going to be not my thing surprises me, but unfortunately I was pretty right on this one.
The book tells the stories of two neighbouring families in the UK. It kicks off with Nazia and Sharif hosting a massive family party, whilst their elderly neighbour Doctor Spinster looks on and tries to get involved. Chapters then switch between Sharif and Nazia's life and Hilary Spinster and his family's.
We switch between Sheffield and Bangladesh, where Nazia and Sherif lived before moving to the UK. In Sheffield we are taught about the struggles of a seemingly loveless marriage between Hilary and his wife Celia. In Bangladesh the reader learns about the history around the lead up to independence for the country. It was an interesting read, but I found myself only wanting to hear about Nazia and Sherif's story. I've never read a book set in Bangladesh before, and it made Hilary's side of spoiled adult kids not caring about their parents totally drag in comparison.
I'm really not a massive fan of literary realism, and whilst some people in my book group loved the author taking you through the mundanity and boring parts of both families' everyday life, it's really something I wasn't a fan of. There were definitely parts I loved, but sometimes it took another 100 pages to get to another bit I enjoyed, so I've given the book three stars. I'd recommend this if you're a fan of Sally Rooney's 'Conversations with Friends'.
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