Book Review: Broken (Not a Halal Love Story)
- Amazing Grace L. Danso
- Oct 27
- 2 min read
Book Review: Broken (Not a Halal Love Story)
Author: Fatima Bala 🇳🇬🇨🇦
Type of work (Genre): Novel (romance)
Number of pages: 369
Own or Borrowed: own, purchased from The Word Playce
Overall Impressions: let me start by saying I am very happy a romance book like this from a Muslim woman exists. That said, I ultimately had mixed feelings by the time I was done. The story itself was interesting with a unique and unexpected plot twist whose resolution followed in the same spirit. I really enjoyed that element of it. I also loved that she put us right in the mind of a devout Muslim woman who falls in love and discovers her sexuality in the process while doing her best to stay true to her beliefs. She really humanized Muslim women especially those who put on the hijab and confronted various misconceptions in the process. She didn’t shy away from writing about intimacy candidly although she did hold back quite a bit to stem the controversy this book would undoubtedly generate within her community. There was quite the backlash. I could also tell she was conflicted about putting a more progressive lens to her beliefs while retaining traditional perspectives, which meant that the feminism she brought to the text was sometimes sacrificed for a more patriarchal outlook however subtle it would seem. That tension was frustrating yet understandable.
Something that stood out: that it wasn’t halal. I appreciate Masobe for daring to publish a book like this.
Overall Rating: 🖋🖋🖋.5 (out of 5 fountain pens).
Recommend or nah: I definitely recommend it! We need more perspectives in literature. Follow my @agsbookadventures 🤓📚IG & Facebook accounts dedicated to books & reading☺️ Also find me on TikTok via the handle @agsbookadventures.
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