Very rarely have a wished that a book was longer so that I could continue reading about the characters and continue on their journey with them. (Wow, that sounds like a sound bite from the Bachelor...)
Amina Mazid is a Bangladeshi, or Deshi, whose parents seek a better life for her. Her father is a serial (unsuccessful) entrepreneur whose failures leave his family in struggling economic conditions.
Amina goes online to AsianEuro.com where she meets George Stillman, an American from update New York. George visits and soon, Amina is off to the United States to start a new life as George's wife.
The story centers around Amina's adjustment to the states, her evolving relationship with her husband and the loneliness she finds herself as she is transported to another land, living with a virtual stranger.
Amina attempts to settle into American life and finds a job at the mall and eventually at Starbucks. She befriends George's cousin's Kim, who has traveled to India and has an affinity for South East Asian cultures.
George is kind and the marriage settles into a comfortable rhythm, but Amina soon discovers inconsistencies with what George has told her about how he had come to sign up online to meet her, and his situation before flying over to Bangladesh to meet her to basically determine whether he would marry her.
Amina is devastated by one of George's secret, but ironically, his betrayal allows her to receive the thing she hopes for the most - to have her parents emigrate to the States and live with her and George.
"What a strange thing, she thought, to find out one day that you had built your whole life on a mistake, and the next to discover that this fact would allow you to have your dearest wish."
Life continues in America - George loses his job, Amina and George struggle to maintain their relationship - before Amina returns to Bangladesh to retrieve her parents and bring them back to the States.
The rest of the story unfolds in Bangladesh where Amina returns as a mini-celebration - the woman who has made it to the States. When at home, Amina discovers that her parents have been embroiled in family drama and a cousin Salim, is after her father for a debt.
The lack of laws and acceptance of tribal justice, combined with the uncertainty of whether Amina's parents will get a Visa for the States, create a tense situation in Dhaka.
Drawn to her home country by familiar sights, her family and extended family (such as close family friends like Nasir), Amina feels nostalgic and is conflicted with the life she knew and could have had, with her new uncertain life in America.
Across cultures, continents and oceans, certain aspects of life remain the same - family obligations and how asking in-laws for help can make make one feel so small, and never forgetting first loves or insignificant childhood memories like yellow barrettes.
The Newlyweds is so vividly written, that I was surprised that the author is not a Bangladeshi who emigrated to the States.
A story of love and tenderness told from a unique perspective, The Newlyweds is an enjoyable read. I begrudgingly read the last twenty pages or so of The Newlyweds, disappointed that the novel was ending soon.
One of my first thoughts after finishing the story was how enjoyable a sequel would be so that I could find out how things unfold upon Amina's return to George and the States, and how their journey unfolds.
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