Brick Lane, Monica Ali

Books like this make me feel like I've read too many books. "Brick Lane" has been well-received by critics, and put on various must-read lists, but ultimately it's a story I've read before, many times. The Bangladeshi heroine, Nazneen, narrowly survives birth and grows up in an unhappy home. Her parents marry her to a Bengali immigrant in London -- a much older man whose personal appearance leaves much to be desired. Nazneen embarks on a (not surprisingly) closed-in life of cooking and cleaning for her husband, trimming his corns and nose hair and listening to him rant pedantically about history and politics. She has two children and watches her husband go from bad job to worse. When Nazneen takes a younger man as a lover, she embarks on a path to independence. Add in 9/11 and immigrant politics for current topical interest. There's nothing wrong with "brick lane;" ali's writing has its moments, but overall i'm underwhelmed.
Posted by supersusie at February 7, 2004 11:30 PM