by Monica Ali
First published 2022
Yasmin Ghorami is twenty-six and training to become a doctor in present-day London. She follows the path her Indian-born father set, but her engagement to Joe Sangster pulls her into unfamiliar territory. Joe comes from upper-class English society. His mother Harriet is a prominent feminist with strong opinions. The two families exist in different worlds. Yasmin and Joe also bring different levels of sexual experience to their relationship. Wedding preparations reveal these gaps more clearly. Misunderstandings multiply between the couple. Infidelities surface. Family secrets emerge that challenge everything Yasmin believed about her parents' marriage. She always heard their union described as a love marriage, but new revelations force her to question this story. The approaching wedding becomes a catalyst that transforms both her relationship with Joe and her understanding of her family's history.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water
Setting: London
Period: present-day
499 pages · Hardcover · Virago