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Title details for Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam - Available

Bright Lines

by Tanwi Nandini Islam
Soneela Nankani
Audiobook
2 of 2 copies available
Borrow Listen to a sample Listen to a sample
2 of 2 copies available
The New York City Gracie Book Club's inauguarl pick, this vibrant debut novel set in Brooklyn and Bangladesh follows three young women and a family struggling to make peace with secrets and their past.For as long as she can remember, Ella has longed to feel at home. Orphaned as a child after her parents' murder and afflicted with hallucinations at dusk, she has always felt more at ease in nature than with people. She traveled from Bangladesh to Brooklyn to live with the Saleems: her uncle Anwar, aunt Hashi, and their beautiful daughter, Charu, her complete opposite. One summer, when Ella returns home from college, she discovers Charu's friend Maya—an Islamic cleric's runaway daughter—asleep in her bedroom.As the girls have a summer of clandestine adventure and sexual awakenings, Anwar, the owner of a popular botanical apothecary, has his own secrets, threatening his thirty-year marriage. But when tragedy strikes, the Saleems find themselves blamed. To keep his family from unraveling, Anwar takes them on a fated trip to Bangladesh to reckon with the past, their extended family, and each other.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    July 26, 2016

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781504760577
      • File size: 358144 KB
      • Duration: 12:26:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      June 15, 2015
      Three Brooklyn girls grapple with their Bangladeshi roots and modern sexual challenges in Islam’s debut novel. Ella, orphaned by her parents’ murder, lives with her aunt Hashi and uncle Anwar, serving the role of an honorary daughter; further complicating the family dynamics is her suppressed romantic love for their daughter, her cousin Charu. The family also welcomes Maya, the daughter of an Islamic cleric, who has run away from her father’s oppressive household. When the family travels to Bangladesh in an effort to restore their bond, they find answers but also tragedy. Too often, the narrative is distracted by Anwar’s many spiritual and sensual conflicts, including his brother’s unresolved murder. But Islam depicts lush Bangladesh and a gritty Brooklyn very well, and she’s at her strongest when following the free-spirited young women. The characters’ halfhearted feelings toward their Muslim identities provide an original and intriguing backdrop for their misadventures.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      With great energy, Soneela Nankani performs this audiobook so beautifully that the listener is transported to the Saleem home in Brooklyn. This is a family story filled with complex relationships; Nankani makes all these clear with her vocal flexibility. Each character has a strong voice: Matriarch Hashi is no-nonsense and sharp-tongued, daughter Charu is sassy and bold, conflicted cousin Ella is practical and reserved, and patriarch Anwar is the man trying to keep up. Nankani balances the lyrical Bangladeshi accents of many of her characters with a perfectly paced narration that connects the lively conversations. This audiobook provides an excellent look at the lives of family members who are dealing with change, questions of identity, and conflicts large and small. L.B.F. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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