First things first, LISTEN TO THE AUDIOBOOK WHILE LOOKING AT THE WORDS because truly you are doing a disservice if you don’t listen to Noor’s voice while taking in her words. The language is beautiful, the emotion in each spoken word by the narrators is heartbreaking, and there’s this deep silencing of the world around you you’ll experience as everything is sucked into every thought and feeling of our three main characters. I don’t cry often while reading, but this book brought me there. Salahuddin and Noor will stick with me for a very long time, both in thinking about their relationships with each other, but also their relationships with their families and most importantly, themselves. 

There is so much pain in this book and it’s almost deafening just reading along with the lives of these three souls just trying their best and dealing with the consequences of their actions. Honestly, I will never understand why immigrant parents move to the most isolated, racist, white only cities in the US, but it led these two to each other and Noor to Misbah so can even really be that mad?? Yes, but I’m still grateful they had each other.

This is likely one of my top 5 favorite books of the year but please be advised that this book is a lot. I’m actually really happy this book included content warnings because I’m pretty sure my heart wouldn’t have been able to take it. Love you Salahuddin and Noor and wishing these two characters nothing but the best.