Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com
Which path should you take when faced with the choice between your own dreams and the needs of the people you love most?
That is precisely the dilemma facing Amjed Qamar's fourteen-year-old protagonist, Nazia, in her debut novel, BENEATH MY MOTHER'S FEET. When her father is injured on the job, Nazia's world is thrown into chaos when she must quit school to help her mother clean houses in order to earn a living for her family. Nazia is forced to deal with ever-increasing burdens, leading her to question beliefs she once accepted as absolute and confront an unknown future that previously seemed so certain.
The best stories are those with universal themes to which anyone can relate, with enough unique details and fresh perspectives to keep the reader's interest, and Qamar does this with an expert's grace. Her writing is spare and elegant, giving readers an insider's view into daily life in modern-day Pakistan. The characters are like any flesh and blood human being -- loving, devoted, but not without their flaws, and anyone looking for a young female lead boasting a driving force beyond boys, designer labels, or social status will be thrilled with Qamar's central character.
BENEATH MY MOTHER'S FEET is a spectacular, thought-provoking work of fiction that will stay with the reader long after the story's end.
Which path should you take when faced with the choice between your own dreams and the needs of the people you love most?
That is precisely the dilemma facing Amjed Qamar's fourteen-year-old protagonist, Nazia, in her debut novel, BENEATH MY MOTHER'S FEET. When her father is injured on the job, Nazia's world is thrown into chaos when she must quit school to help her mother clean houses in order to earn a living for her family. Nazia is forced to deal with ever-increasing burdens, leading her to question beliefs she once accepted as absolute and confront an unknown future that previously seemed so certain.
The best stories are those with universal themes to which anyone can relate, with enough unique details and fresh perspectives to keep the reader's interest, and Qamar does this with an expert's grace. Her writing is spare and elegant, giving readers an insider's view into daily life in modern-day Pakistan. The characters are like any flesh and blood human being -- loving, devoted, but not without their flaws, and anyone looking for a young female lead boasting a driving force beyond boys, designer labels, or social status will be thrilled with Qamar's central character.
BENEATH MY MOTHER'S FEET is a spectacular, thought-provoking work of fiction that will stay with the reader long after the story's end.
