This was an excellent read and really did an effective job of telling a good story while explaining intercultural differences and challenges.
This story is about a Alia, who has an English mother and Pakistani father. This is also the case for the author so she is writing about something of which she is familiar. There is much more to the book than stated on the back. Alia's father, Harris, is tied to his large,extended family, both in London and in Pakistan, this creates issues, as everyone is expected to look out for each other, sometimes expectations exceed capabilities. Alia is trying to bridge her life, which has been spent in England with her father's expectations and understanding, due to his background. Alia's cousin is asked to watch over her although he has issues himself: holding down a job, although he is college educated and getting a bit too involved with a radical Islam group. A well written first novel, although Dastgir has an understanding of Pakistani life, she is Western educated and her writing flows easily.
