The Matchmaker by Aisha Saeed
There is no Islam, save being told a wedding took place in a mosque, in this 320 page adult book by a Muslim author. The thriller, mystery, romance, is fairly clean, save some drugs, killings, kissing, and normalized dating, yet I would probably be fine with mature teens reading it, if so inclined. By the end, I enjoyed the book, but it took me three attempts to get past the 30% mark as the opening was painful with its numerous characters being name dropped, the setting being established, and getting the characters into position. But then slowly the exposition gave way to story telling and intrigue, and the second half was a decent read. Honestly, my biggest problem with the book is that I just didn’t like the main character, or any of the characters really, and I don’t know why. They didn’t have some clear flaw or annoying habits, they just felt distant and bland, which resulted in the plot carrying the book, and me not really caring if the protagonist was killed or harmed, I know- harsh. I cannot deny though, that what kept me reading was to see who was behind it all and I did figure it out, but continued on just the same to be sure, and that is a testament to the author’s writing skill, even if it took a minute for the pacing, plot, twists and climax to pull me in.
SYNOPSIS:
Nura Khan runs an elite matchmaking service in Atlanta, from hands on to a dating app, her and her team match people of all backgrounds and faiths. She herself has a long time friend who acts as a fiancé for image purposes, and a recently retired aunt who’s bad days have meant family dynamics have changed. As a third generation matchmaker, Nura is in charge and knows what she is doing, until suddenly her image, her reputation, and her matches start faltering. Not confined to just heartbreak, there is also stalking, threatening notes, kidnappings, and attempted murder, which suddenly thrust Nura into a world she is ill prepared for, and one that seems to put her in the crosshairs of someone determined to see her demise.
WHY I LIKE IT:
It wasn’t a heavy thriller or heavy romance, it was an easy read that didn’t “other” desi culture and I found that refreshing. That being said, I always wish her books had Islam in them. I also liked that the climax and second half honestly didn’t feel overly forced, I’m not a writer so take it with a grain of salt that I complain that the beginning was dry and too much telling, but then the second half flew by and loose ends were more or less tied up in a satisfactory way. I’m aware that the second half was a result of what was a established in the first part, but none-the-less I hope future books will make the two halves less cumbersome and inconsistent. I also really hope future books will have more character appeal. There was a lot of potential to care deeply about the main characters, from the aunt, to the best friend, to Nura herself, but they lacked spark, and sadly just felt like vehicles for a plot that wasn’t dependent on them, their experiences, their flaws, and their personalities.
FLAGS:
Dating and relationships of all faiths, persuasions and labels, kissing, attempted murder, killing, plotting, lying, scheming, kidnapping, drugging, physical abuse, assault, deception.
TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:
With no Islam I wouldn’t do this as a high school book club, but amongst friends it would be a fun group read.
