“Then you tell me your favourite colour so I can send you flowers, your favourite place so I can take you there, your favourite book so I can read it just so we can argue about it. I know you want to work in radio, and I plan to cheer you on every step of the way. I might even listen to TSwift, if you insist.”–Uzma Jalaluddin, Hana Khan Carries On
For those who like “You’ve Got Mail,” this is the book for you. What’s not to like about a rom-com set in the modern day Canadian/Indian-Muslim community? Hana Khan dreams of a career in radio. Her family owns The Three Sisters, a halal restaurant that is already struggling when a new halal restaurant opens across the street. Hana is torn between helping save the restaurant and winning the intern competition at the local radio station where she hoping to be hired full time. Her life is also complicated by the young, handsome owner of the new restaurant who is intent on his restaurant succeeding, even if it means the end of The Three Sisters . Luckily she has an anonymous friend she met online who she confides her problems to. If you are familiar with the movies “You’ve Got Mail,” or “The Shop Around the Corner,” you can see where this is headed. While a fun and charming book, it also addresses difficult topics such as Islamophobia and racism. I enjoyed this book and hope you do too!
Content Advisory: Racism, hate crimes, abusive parents, emotional manipulation