It took me a little while to get through the book and I did find myself skipping some of the parts where the Quran is quoted. This wasn't because I have a grudge against the Quran. It's because I routinely skip passages in books that quote poems, song lyrics, scripture, etc. Literally my eyes glaze over and I move on because I want the narrative to flow and for some reason these things don't generally add anything to the narrative for me. But I digress. Once the action picked up and we find ourselves getting to the crux of the matter in the book, I couldn't put it down. Today I was on page 100 and told myself getting to page 200 would be my goal for today. Well here I am several hours later having completed all 352 pages of the book.
The story centers on Hayat, an 11-year old boy, who is part of a dysfunctional Pakistani Muslim family. A family friend comes to live with them because she is under threat of having her son taken away from her in Pakistan. When she comes to live with them, Hayat is introduced to the complicated world of religion. Since he is a young boy he doesn't fully understand all of the intricacies and tends to believe whatever anyone tells him. This family friend, who is faithful and beautiful, mesmerizes him. When she begins showing interest in a Jewish man, Hayat does something hateful and changes the course for everyone involved. I enjoyed the book once the story got going, not just for the story, but also for how the story was presented pretty objectively. The author posits that there is no single right religion and describes how impressionable young kids can be swayed into beliefs that they are not ready to handle or understand. After reading this book, you may find yourself thinking about the consequences of belief that occurs out of context.
