Book Review: Here With You

Here With You by Umm Afraz Muhammed is a slice of life story revolving around the family dynamics of a South Indian Muslim family. The son, Faisal is newly married to Salma who are living in a joint family with his father and mother. The story basically revolves around Salma, Faisal and Fatima (the mother-in-law).  So, here’s my review: 

Strengths

Good Plot

New marriages are hard to adjust to already, but adding the dimension of living in a joint family can add more difficulties to the mix. However, there are few books or even shows that deal with this dimension of Indian saas-bahu (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law) in a realistic manner. Depending on the narrator, one is painted a villain and other, a victim. Here With You depicts both right and wrong in their own position. Apart from that, there are some plot twists involved that definitely garner your attention and keep you involved.

Character Development

The three main characters are dimensional, with their flaws and positive points. Faisal has the innocence and ingenuity of new husband trying to find a balance between taking care of his wife and her rights and the rights his parents have over him. Salma has her quirks and the keenness of a newly married woman who wants to bring her ideal image of marriage to life. Fatima, the mother-in-law, who loves her son and is struggling with the fact that her little boy will have changed priorities, which is making her inevitably the kind of mother-in-law she despises. The great part is how these characters evolve through the three parts of the book making you feel love, anger, sympathy, hope, hopelessness and optimistic at different points.

Realistic

Reading about them, you feel like you know these people. Salma is like your friend, perhaps, a lot like you. Maybe, Fatima is like your grandmother or your mother. Faisal is like your husband or someone else you know has gone through this. The characters are very real and it is easy to feel for them and root for them.

Weakness

The only complaint I have from the book is that it experiences a dull and slow phase somewhere in the middle, but you get over it in a couple of chapters.

Overall Rating? 

4 out of 5 Stars

If you haven't already, check out my interview with the author Umm Afraz Muhammed here.

You can find the book here.