The Love Match

November 21, 2022
Jane Austen meets Bengali cinema in Taslim’s joyful debut. Teenage Zahra Khan wants to be a writer, but her widowed, meddling Amma has other plans: to match Zahra up with a “suitable” Bangladeshi, Muslim boy. Amma’s concerns about Zahra’s future stem from Zahra’s father’s death, from which the family has struggled to financially recover. To help make ends meet, Zahra defers her acceptance to Columbia University to work at a Pakistani tea shop in Patterson, N.J. Amma sets Zahra up with handsome, affluent Harun Emon, 18; though the pair have no interest in each other, they fake-date to placate their families. Meanwhile, Zahra falls for coworker Nayim Aktar, “an orphan from a poor, fragmented family” and recent arrival from Bangladesh. But as her romantic feelings for Nayim flourish and her pretend relationship with Harum begins to feel real, Zahra is left at a crossroads between what her family expects and what she desires. Characters authentically and humorously code-switch between traditional Bengali and contemporary American sensibilities, imbuing dialogue with a rat-a-tat pace. Taslim draws from lived experiences, as detailed in an author’s note, to offer a textured exploration of intersectional South Asian Muslim identity. Ages 12–up. Agent: Quressa Robinson, Folio Literary.

January 1, 2023
Grades 9-12 Since her father's death, Zahra has endured more than sadness. She studies hard, works to help support her family, and endures her mother's fixation on finding a good match for her within their Bangladeshi Muslim diaspora community in Paterson, New Jersey. After she reluctantly agrees to weekly chaperoned dates with Harun, a boy from a wealthy family, they secretly make a deal to keep up the dating charade for eight weeks and then "break up." But during their time together, they form a genuine attachment that feels like more than friendship. Meanwhile, Zahra falls for Nayim, a new coworker who becomes devoted to her. She vacillates between choosing Harun or Nayim until a grand gesture clarifies her mind. This smoothly written first novel was inspired partly by Taslim's memories of her teen years, when her elders attempted to guide her toward a suitable marriage via well-intended but misguided matchmaking. The realistic portrayals of Zahra's family members and longtime best friends help to ground the main character while making her thoughts, her emotions, and her decisions convincing.

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Starred review from October 15, 2022
Zahra Khan finds herself in a real-life Bengali natok, or drama, when two handsome boys enter her life. All Zahra really wants is to be a writer, but she must first navigate adulthood, love, and the Bengali community of Paterson, New Jersey. She has to put off college to work at local Pakistani tea shop Chai Ho to help her mother support their family, which has struggled financially ever since her father died two years ago. While Zahra focuses on making ends meet, her mother tries desperately to set her up with gorgeous, well-mannered Harun Emon, who is from a wealthy family--precisely what Zahra's mom is looking for. The two 18-year-olds are not interested in one another, but they pretend to date to keep their parents satisfied. Meanwhile, Zahra is falling for new Chai Ho hire Nayim Aktar, a poor orphan and recent arrival from Bangladesh. As the pressures start building, Zahra finds herself at a crossroads: choose obligation or choose herself. Taslim's descriptions of the Bengali community and her articulation of diverse Muslim identities and practices are authentic and nuanced. Details like waking up for Fajr prayer, halal dating, and inner turmoil over wanting physical intimacy describe genuine experiences. Topics like double standards in the South Asian community, the intersection of queer and Muslim identities, and the reality of the inaccessibility of higher education add depth to the novel. Candid, textured, and amusing: a novel readers will devour in one sitting. (Romance. 12-18)

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November 10, 2023

Gr 7 Up-Zahra Kahn starts the summer after graduation with problems. Her father died two years ago, leaving her to help support her family, immigrants from Bangladesh living in Paterson, NJ. Since his death, she hasn't been able to write. She works double shifts at a tea shop job with her best friends, who are preparing for a college life that Zahra can't afford. Her mother drags her to a Bengali wedding, where she brags about being descended from royalty. A rich auntie perks up and suggests Zahra meet her son, who is also 18 and going to Zahra's dream school, Columbia, in the fall. Soon, the parents arrange a match between Zahra and the haughty, scowling Harun; together, the teens set out to sabotage any wedding plans their parents have. Back at the tea shop, a beguiling Bangladeshi orphan, Nayim, has started working there, charming Zahra by serenading her and encouraging her to write again. As she spends more time with Harun, they become friends, or maybe more, setting up a Pride & Prejudice-like triangle that doesn't really percolate. As Harun and Zahra become close, their story makes for good romantic reading, but Nayim's part never seems compelling. Instead, Taslim's novel shines when it focuses on Zahra's struggle between family duty and her dreams, surrounded by a rich cast of characters and well-drawn setting in Paterson's Bangladeshi community. VERDICT Cute romantic moments and Bengali culture save this novel. A good purchase for libraries where novels featuring Deshi characters and more romances are needed.-Kate Fleming

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