Madras on Rainy Days

It's Saturday at 9:35, it's not raining for the first time in literally a month, I'm wearing my favorite sleep t-shirt, I just brewed myself a lovely pot of coffee and I am curled up on the sofa with my favorite blanket. My boyfriend is still sleeping so I had the chance to finish "Madras on Rainy Days", by Samina Ali.

This was a fair book. It definitely wasn't great, but I wish my book club was here right now so we could talk about it. It was definitely engaging enough for me to pick up my laptop at 9:37 on a Saturday morning to discuss it, so that is saying something.

First, what's good: The premise of the book is really quite interesting. Layla is a 19-year-old Muslim American who spends half her life in America and half her life in India. After intense pressure (and no doubt beatings from her abusive father), she agrees to an arranged marriage in India to Sameer, a man she has only met 3 or 4 times. Here's the catch: Layla is pregnant by an American and desperate to abort the baby, which she does with the help of some extra birth control pills and "jadu" (Muslim voodoo, essentially).

On Layla's wedding night, Sameer and Layla try and consummate the marriage only to discover that Sameer has searched her belongings and found her love letters from the American boyfriend, realizing that she is not a virgin. An uneasy truce is called between the newlyweds after Sameer asks Layla never to ask about his past, in return for his forgetting about her affair.

After this night, the newlyweds try to forge a relationship and plan their life together in America. In due course, and after repeated failed attempts at sex, Layla realizes that Sameer is gay. His family, who agreed to the marriage, is well aware of this fact.

Layla knows that Muslim women who divorce their husbands are subject to ridicule, beatings and, worse, her family would disown her. Layla find herself trapped in her marriage and India.

What's bad: It's a debut novel. I have an issue with debut novels. They are either amazing, or they suck out loud. This book doesn't really suck out loud, but Samina Ali uses about 26 words, when two will suffice. Her dialogue between Layla and Sameer is so stiff and unrealistic, I wanted to ask the author if she has EVER talked to a man in her life.

For instance, after Layla realizes her husband is gay and after his lover has followed them on her honeymoon and AFTER Sameer has told her that she "belongs" to him and he won't allow her to leave him.....she BEGS him to have sex with her. I mean, she begs him. It's painful.

Now, I'm not Muslim. I'm not 19. And I'm not married to a gay man. But I think if I WERE any of these things, the LAST thing going through my mind would be sex. I THINK I would be thinking "How they hell do I get my ass on a plane home?"

Another problem I had was that Layla's decision making would turn on a dime, and I never understood why. Before she found out Sameer was gay, he was basically refusing to have sex with her and would leave her alone with his parents for all hours of the day, which just wasn't very nice, in my opinion. It was at this point that Layla decides that she loves him and wants to stay in India. WHA? I. just. don't. get. it.

Also, about 30 pages before the book's end, the author makes a major Muslim versus Hindu political religious statement and kills off a major character in a really horrible way. This just seemed like such an obvious plot device to allow Layla to make the decision we all knew she NEEDED to make......which was leave the marriage.

Ok, I just gave away the ending, but you knew she was going to do it, didn't you?

Overall, it was interesting, but unbelievable.

I'm still hoping that the bloggosphere will reveal a great book to me. Any suggestions, dear readers?