Minaret - Leila Aboulela

In recent years we have seen a number of novels by Muslim writers that explore the fault lines between various Islamic cultures and the way of life flourishing in the US and Western Europe. They write from inside the experience of growing up and living with a network of customs and beliefs which have themselves been subject to dramatic and far-reaching changes in the 20th century. Leila Aboulela's second novel, Minaret, marks her out as one of the most distinguished of this new wave. The narrative is tranquil and lyrical, developing the thoughts and emotions of her heroine so calmly that we soon begin to see our familiar world through her eyes. "London is at its most beautiful in the autumn. In summer it is seedy and swollen, in winter it is overwhelmed by Christmas lights and in spring, the season of birth, there is always disappointment. Now it is at its best, now it is poised like a mature woman whose beauty is no longer fresh but still surprisingly potent." “In a narrative of complex reversals, Aboulela takes a huge risk in describing her heroine's religious conversion and spiritual dedication. She succeeds brilliantly. This is a beautiful, daring, challenging novel.” The Guardian

10 copies