Books and Jams Readalong discussion

Part 1 was so short that I thought I'd combine it with Part 2. So this discussion is basically for the first half of the book.

Feel free to answer any or all of these questions or ignore them completely and just share your thoughts!

What were your initial impressions of the book?
Did you have any expectations going in and has it met them or no so far?
What do you think about this family we've met?
Any characters stand out to you? Are there any that you connect with more than others?
How do you find the pacing and writing style?

What do you think so far?

It was a little hard for me sometimes to orient myself to the time period and character as it changed. That said, I think the style is effective. Really liking it!

I really didn’t have much expectation in starting this book; I just knew it looked really good. And I must say that this story has far exceeded what I’d hoped for. Though the story could be about any first generation American family, reading about a Muslim family has provided so much info I didn’t know previously and insight into so many traditions and beliefs that I am really enjoying.
I think at times I’ve identified with both of the sisters and I unfortunately have a family member who did fall by the wayside into alcohol abuse so can also relate to Amar.
Sometimes reading a book that jumps around in time gets way too confusing. For some reason, that hasn’t been the case in this novel. I am really enjoying Mirza’s writing style and pacing. So halfway through, I’m giving this 5 🌟. I’m hopeful that the second half will be just as good.

I have been pleasantly surprised by this book. I will say the jumping around in time is a little hard to follow (and I listen on audiobook so I don’t see any paragraph breaks like I would imagine are apparent in the text form). However, it hasn’t taken me completely out of the story. I am very interested in where the second half of the story goes. I am most drawn to Hadia (oldest sister) because her inner dialogue reminds me of me a bit. I also have a brother who seems to be treated differently by our parents and that’s a weird thing to reconcile. Huda is the one character I don’t know much about at all. Maybe I kinda tune out during her parts but all I know is she’s the middle sister and wants to be a teacher. Am I missing something?? The parents’ relationship/dynamics I find fascinating. I like that the author has not painted any one character all bad or all good. Everything is nuanced which is so refreshing!

I loved the January and February reads we did in this group. Both of them were 5 star reads for me. So I was hoping this would be another great read. But I am not enjoying this book as much as I hoped. With so many great reviews on goodreads I feel like there’s something wrong with me for not loving A Place for Us.

The writing style is good....even though she hops around a lot. I have been able to keep up with that. I have googled many of the Arabic words. I wish the author would have put a guide in the front or back of the book to define what these words meant in English.

I am really enjoying this book, even though I'm not flying through it. I feel like the family relationships feel so real and complex. There's so much love and understanding between these siblings, but also so much jealousy and hurt too. The dysfunction in the family feels like every family in a way.

I am enjoying that we're learning about Muslim Indian American culture in such a subtle way. It's so different from my background but I still very easily care and connect with these characters.

The one thing I am not loving is the structure, as a few of you already mentioned. It hops around so so much that it keeps me held at arms length a bit.

I'm very curious about where the next two sections are going to go.

First impressions. I am liking this book. Part 1 went fairly quickly. You almost felt like you were at the wedding. In Part 2, it jumps around a lot time wise but you get the gist of the story. I’m looking forward to what happens in the remainder of the book to see what happens to the family in that 3 years when they don’t see Amar.

It took me a while to get invested in this book. At first, the structure, jumping around, non-linear timeline was confusing, but I found that sitting down to read longer sections rather than just a few pages at a time helped me to concentrate and appreciate the complexities of the culture and the characters. I am interested to see what happens in the end...

I am enjoying learning about this family, their dynamics and culture. At first, I found it difficult with Part 2 and the timeline jumping around but then I think that is how we remember - our memories of our own lives aren't linear but when reading a book, my mind wants everything in order. The relationship between Amar and his dad makes me sad. I'm hoping they will reconcile in the end.