Adnan

In her debut novel, Mehreen Arshi has uniquely captured the souls of three of the world's most iconic cities and the hearts of their inhabitants. Her writing shines as she draws readers into a whirlwind journey of passion, traditions, and the clashes of human ego.

Set against the cosmopolitan backdrop of Sydney, Islamabad and London, the book draws you in with it's bubbly characters as the intricate details of South Asian family dynamics play out. You will find yourself lost in the atmospheric details and be transported across continents effortlessly.

The story revolves around Jiya and Aazar, a Pakistani duo brought up with traditional but progressive upbringing. Both are unknowingly in love with each other, despite a family history that has Aazar's father pitched against Jiya's mother. While their love blossoms, the two must face the towering shadows of family expectations and societal norms. This book will take you deep into what a love relationship means. Jiya and Aazar navigate their lives, unknowingly harbouring secret love for each other, amongst the chaos of family fun, drama and some hilarious moments that are bound to make you laugh out loud.

One of the most captivating elements of this novel is the exploration of the human ego. Mehreen masterfully showcases how pride and self-worth, especially when intertwined with cultural and familial pressures, can both protect and shatter love. The delicate dance between character egos, fuelled by their personal histories, adds layers of complexity to their relationship.

For anyone who has ever been torn between heart and heritage, this novel will resonate deeply. For me, it was a fun filled ride of culture, joy, and laughter. The thought-provoking novel certainly made me rethink our cultural values and weigh the cost of antiquated traditions against personal happiness.

The ending is perfect, but the author seems to deeply loathe Ziaul Haq at a personal level.

This was the first submarine novel I read, and it got me hooked to submarine warfare fiction. Typhoon submarines are independently interesting, with their ability to break through the polar ice using their sheer buoyancy.

Its a great book of fiction while carrying a terrible philosophy. Of course we all love capitalism, but Ayn Rand makes a clear tangent and takes it too far. Being selfish does not automatically translate into a larger pie for the nation or society. In spite of the clear holes in her ideas, they remain the ideal to be achieved by so many young entrepreneurs.

What I must acknowledge is her complete prowess on character sketching. As the rumour goes, she wrote 100+ pages on each character before she started writing the book.

I think Gladwell has picked up some of the most relevant ideas about outliers here in this book. He has presented a stream of examples of the main ideas in the book. Outliers have usually found themselves around an opportunity, and have been the experts in their fields. The 10,000 hour rule is the most appropriate description of an expert in any field. A ‘good read'.