AYESHA AT LAST

Narrator Roshni Shukla's style lends an Austen-esque air to this contemporary retelling of the rich-boy-meets-poor-girl trope. Ayesha and Khalid are Muslims, Indian-Canadians, and neighbors. They both struggle to reconcile their traditional upbringing as the children of immigrants with the contemporary society that surrounds them. Shukla shifts between Ayesha and Khalid's points of view, which are given in alternating chapters. Khalid's conservatism and Ayesha's ambitions are brought vividly to life in Shukla's energetic telling. She also captures the differences between the younger generation and their mothers by characterizing the older women with slightly accented English. Rom-com fans will enjoy this updated version. M.R. © AudioFile 2019, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2019]