Brick Lane
A Novel
by Monica Ali
Overview
From the Publisher
Monica Ali's gorgeous first novel is the deeply moving story of one woman, Nazneen, born in a Bangladeshi village and transported to London at age eighteen to enter into an arranged marriage. Already hailed by the London Observer as "one of the most significant British novelists of her generation," Ali has written a stunningly accomplished debut about one outsider's quest to find her voice.
What could not be changed must be borne. And since nothing could be changed, everything had to be borne. This principle ruled her life. It was mantra, fettle, and challenge.
Nazneen's inauspicious entry into the world, an apparent stillbirth on the hard mud floor of a village hut, imbues in her a sense of fatalism that she carries across continents when she is married off to Chanu, a man old enough to be her father. Nazneen moves to London and, for years, keeps house, cares for her husband, and bears children, just as a girl from the village is supposed to do. But gradually she is transformed by her experience, and begins to question whether fate controls her or whether she has a hand in her own destiny.
My thoughts
This is an intriguing book, though I honestly don't know if I understand it. As I read it, I kept thinking it was a book written long, long ago, when in reality it takes place in the not so distant past. Perhaps I didn't fully understand it because my world is so different from the world Nazneed lived in, even though she lived her adult life in London.
It's a good read, an interesting story, a book that's hard to put down. I agree with some reviewers that the story could have been told just as well in a lot fewer pages. Throughout certain periods of Nazneed's life, we only get to read letters from her sister who has struggles, hopes and dreams of her own. I didn't think that storyline flowed seamlessly in the book. I thought something would tie them all together in the end but for me that never really happened.
The end of the book was a surprise to me, and a disappointing surprise at that, which in and of itself surprises me. I can't explain that in more detail without writing a spoiler, so I'll leave my review at this: The book is worth reading for many different reasons. Read it slowly, read it thoughtfully, and ponder it long after you've put it back on the bookshelf.
Favorite Passage
Shahana pulled Chanu's daaton from the toothbrush mug. "In Bangladesh, you'll have to brush your teeth with a twig. They don't have toothbrushes."
Chanu had been delighted to find the neem twig in Alam's High Class Grocery. He chewed the end until it splayed, rubbed it vigorously around his mouth, and declared it to be excellent for massaging the gums.
"You know, Bibi, they don't have toilet paper either. You'll have to pour water on your bottom to clean it."
Bibi looked distressed. "What about you? You'll have to do it too."
Shahana put on her inscrutable face.
Then she attacked her sister with the daaton, trying to force it into her mouth.
