Brick Lane: A Novel Review

I am here today to discuss with you a marvelous novel I recently read titled Brick Lane. This book was written by Monica Ali, a Bangladeshi woman in 2003. It deals mainly with the life of Nazneen, a young woman shipped off to London to live with an older man in an arranged marriage. The man is much older than her, and, although kind, is very traditional. Nazneen goes through a journey of finding friends, and where she fits in in the clash of East meets West. Throughout her life, she longs to return to Bangladesh to reunite with her younger sister, Hasina. Hasina has brought shame to the family by eloping with a man of her choosing in a "love marriage." Her fortune goes from bad to worse, and the only contact the two women have throughout the years is through infrequent letters.

The book is a great read on many levels. First, the author being a Bangladeshi woman living in London, she can share with women in the same situation how hard it is to live in a culture where you are seen as "different", and an outcast. Her book is set in relatively modern day, and Nazneen experiences the pain and shock of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. She, being a good Muslim girl, is appalled by the brutality, and confused. Many readers could benefit from seeing Islam and the beginnings of war from this perspective.

Throughout the Novel, Nazneen struggles with the duties of wife and mother, and the longings to live a freer, different life. She sees figure skaters on television, and finds their movements exotic and liberating. She dreams of skating away from all responsibility, yet she is so lonely for companionship, and the family closeness she had with her sister.

Her sister, who made her own choices, deals with the consequences. She is ostracized from the family, and no longer has the safety of her husband, as he leaves her. She is a woman alone, and in Bangladeshi culture there is not much that she can do. She is like a refugee, flitting from town to town, doing odd jobs to survive. Yet her spirit remains unbroken.

Nazneen's children grow up, and the conflict arises of who they are and who they want to be. Being born Londoners, the girls find their Bangladeshi traditional father tiresome and overpowering. He fumes that the children are becoming "Spoilt" by extravagant Western ways. They are not like their mother, a "Wholesome Country Girl." He arranges plans for them to leave England and return home.

What no one knows is that Nazneen is a strong, powerful woman, more powerful that even she knows, and capable of making her own decisions. While her Amma always spoke of "being left to one's fate", she cannot bear living a life without her own integrity. She rebels in a major way, which I will not disclose here, as it was a shock to me, being the reader, but it is worth your time to see. Every woman can benefit from seeing and feeling the oppression women endure in every culture, and how they recover from and deal with it.

I highly recommend this book. It is richly written, and very engaging. I couldn't put it down! It sheds light on a fascinating culture, and on the problems all women and families face. Above all, it is a book about faith, and strength, and overcoming obstacles. Anyone who has ever felt oppressed, or that life is passing them by, will understand the depth of Monica Ali's writing.