A Place for Us

Fatima Farheen Mirza’s A Place for Us debuted in 2018. The novel, an instant New York Times best seller, was lauded as one of the best books of the year by The Washington Post, NPR, and more. It’s notable for its extensive use of flashbacks and shifting perspective, which moves between third and first person.

Plot Summary

The novel begins when Amar, a young man estranged from his traditional Indian Muslim family, comes home for his sister Hadia’s wedding. There is tension in Amar’s interactions with the other guests, as he has not seen them in years. While Amar’s mother, Layla, is glad he is there, his father, Rafiq, is subdued; meanwhile, Amar and Hadia’s middle sister, Huda, seems peripheral to the drama.

Perhaps to raise her brother’s spirits, Hadia asserts that she and her brother share common ground. Because Hadia chose her betrothed, Tariq, rather than accept an arranged marriage, she has let their parents down as much as Amar has. During the festivities, Amar reconnects with a young woman named Amira. They have feelings for each other even after years apart, or at the very least share an intense emotional bond.