I loved this. I grew up as a young woman in a Christian household in Islamic-law-governed Saudi Arabia and had best friends from every culture and religion in the world and I LOVED everything about this book. Jennifer Zobair has done a beautiful job of bringing to life many drastically different voices and expressed so much with her words and thoughts. I was ready to criticise, I was ready to find flaws and holes and was disappointed on that count. I am amazed at how intelligent and honest and accessible it all was. Read this book immediately. As a person of Indian origin who has raised two daughters in the United States, I really enjoyed the perspective provided by Ms. Zobair, which is quite accurate and balanced. It sheds light on the Pakistani and Indian Muslim diaspora with its amazing diversity on politics, religion, culture, and so forth. It is also interesting to see how this diaspora is enriching our lives and in many ways they share the same values and aspirations for freedom and fairness we do. Having just published a novel myself, I also appreciate how much time and effort it took for the author to take time out of her busy work and family life to commit to this cause. She, obviously, walks the talk.What is also interesting is the life of not just three Muslim women but one Caucasian one as well, who is pulled into Islam for the wrong reasons and finds herself in a bit of a tangle. The one feedback I have is that Painted Hands reads a bit more like a TV serial with short narrative of various characters. This is done well, and it is not jarring, but I felt that I was getting into some really good scenes when they end too quickly. A case in point is one of the threesome invites her white boyfriend to come make a marriage proposal to her father. That scene is well done, but left me wanting more. Again, wanting to read more is not necessarily a negative thing. I do wish there were some more tension in the story as conflicts get resolved. But there are also a few nice touches such as relationship between Mateen and Amra. Great job overall with the first novel, and I hope to read Ms. Zobair's next novel too.
What do You think about Painted Hands: A Novel (2013)?
I loved this book! A must read for all of my sister friends and even those who are not Muslim.
—bhinderm
Fabulous book well written by a local Massachusetts author. Highly recommend it.
—Ann
A terrific read. I hope Jennifer Zobair writes dozens more novels.
—lois
Magnificent. A much needed addition to contemporary fiction.
—tarzy
