By Samreen Khan
Content Warning: human trafficking threats, miscarriage.
I read this book last year when the pandemic hit, and I was looking for diverse Muslim representation in Canadian literature. I came across this book by chance while browsing Muslim authors on the Edmonton Public Library website. Borrowing this book was probably the best thing I did last year.
Ayesha at Last is a story set in suburban Toronto, based on Muslim families living there. It starts off with a bang—a snobbish man judging a struggling hijabi woman getting into her car. The story traces the life of Ayesha Shamsi, who wants to be a poet but is settling for a teaching job to pay off her family debts. She lives in suburban Toronto with her inter-generational family that migrated from India years ago, and gets unwittingly entangled between the lives of reserved bachelor Khalid and her younger naïve cousin Hafsa. Khalid is as smart and intelligent as he is orthodox and conservative, and her cousin is everything would-be mother-in-laws search for: rich, beautiful, young, and naïve. The story revolves around how Ayesha must navigate not wanting an arranged marriage, dealing with orthodox Khalid, and managing her younger cousin’s constant refusals to get married. Things take a drastic turn when Khalid gets engaged to Hafsa, all the while thinking of Ayesha.
Ayesha’s character is spunky, sassy, and true to her faith. She believes in herself and speaks her mind. Her character is juxtaposed against the character arc of Khalid, who is conservative and dresses in suburban Toronto as though he lives in the 17th century. His character goes through tremendous upheaval and growth in the book, and I loved how he learns to take control of his life eventually.
Uzma Jalaluddin has taken an exceedingly fresh spin on Pride and Prejudice in her debut novel Ayesha at Last. I loved this book for several reasons. First and foremost, the narration style of the author is phenomenal. The writing flows effortlessly between introducing various characters and their backdrops and intertwines their lives. It is a simple book that touches upon exceedingly difficult topics in the immigrant South Asian Muslim communities. Without giving away the entire plot, I would like to mention that the story traces heavy topics such as motherin-laws looking for the richest brides that can bring monetary support to their sons, looking down upon children coming from divorced families, human trafficking rackets, and disowning children under the garb of family honour. I would also like to mention how the author casually slips in the covert/overt racism that exists in corporate Canada via Khalid’s character, who visually represents the media nightmare of a traditional Muslim.
Coming back to why I love this book, my main attraction is the humour and clash between Ayesha and Khalid. Their clashes are what love stories are made of: real, witty, and lovable. I also adore the manner in which the author makes sure that the extended family consistently weaves into the story—this is true of any Indian Muslim family and is an apt representation of the plot setting. I could not put this book down and read it in two days flat. As an Indian Muslim woman, many things resonated with me about the story, the way characters interact, and the manner in which having faith is as normal as breathing for many practicing Muslims. I would sign off by saying: this book is an Indian Muslim romantic comedy set in Canada! I have never come across something that resonates so close to my heart! It’s hilarious and lovable—I vote that a movie should be made from this book!