I enjoy character driven novels. This book easily transported me from a working class neighborhood in Brooklyn to the streets and market of Bangladeshi. Each of the family members is carefully crafted. During the summer they all grow and change in believable ways. The girls experience the pains of growing up and coming to terms with who they are. Anwar also must face who he is and come to terms with the horrors of the past in Bangladesh.
The settings in Brooklyn and Bangladesh are beautifully described. I particularly enjoyed the description of Anwar’s garden that he and Ella spent so much time in.
I highly recommend this book. It brings the reader into a different corner of the world and describes it beautifully.
I like visiting a different side of Brooklyn than shown in the mainstream.