It is impossible for me not to compare this to Americanah. This lacked the distinctive voice present there, but explored some of the same themes. I thought The Newlyweds was enjoyable, but not particularly memorable.

I liked this book and felt drawn into the characters’ lives and the struggles of culture, tradition, obligation, and family.

What I enjoyed most about this book was the wonderful narration by Mozhan Marno. I'm so glad I chose to listen to this one rather than read it. She did a fantastic job portraying the different characters, different accents, and even emotional palette of their different voices (a yoga instructor versus one of her students). The story was great, too. The author had a good sense of Bangladesh, Deshi culture, and the atmosphere of various cities and villages. I was hoping for a different ending, but what happened made sense for everyone considering the circumstances and different cultures.

PS- After thinking about the book a bit more after I finished it, I became a bit more dissatisfied with how some parts of the plot didn't come to a close.

Spoiler

Nothing was ever resolved in any way with Kim even though she was so important to the plot. Nothing was really decided between Amina and Nassir. I guess we're supposed to assume Amina keeps her Starbucks job since she won the contest, but that's not certain either. And what about Amina being able to get pregnant? Or the whole adjustment of her parents moving to America?

Oh well.

I find it more difficult to review books that I really liked, so I've been putting this review off a bit. Initially, the book's mere title caught my attention, since I'm drawn to materials about early marriage. But when I read the synopsis, I was even more intrigued -- because it was about a couple that met online and conducted the majority of their courtship that way. Even before I met my own husband online, I was fascinated by online relationships and "arranged marriages," and this book has elements of both.

It didn't take long for the book to begin exploring these elements, and the exploration was appropriately nuanced and complex. An added layer was the cultural dissonance as George's new bride immigrated from Bangladesh to the U.S. As might be expected, both entered into the marriage for slightly different reasons -- Amina because she hoped for a better life, and to eventually bring her parents to the U.S., and George because he wanted to have a family. George comes across as socially awkward enough that it's believable that he might have had trouble meeting women and dating "in real life," and although he has a few skeletons in his closet, none of them are extreme enough to paint him as freakish. He comes across as condescending at times, but it's fairly easy to believe that he basically has a good heart. Amina, while a people pleaser especially as she struggles to assimilate into her new culture, is not a pushover, either. Essentially, what makes this book a worthwhile read is that the characters are richly drawn, believable, and three-dimensional, which is literary fiction at its best.

After Amina's initial adjustment to marriage and life in the U.S., the book loses a little bit of its steam, and the second half starts to feel a little convoluted. At the same time, I understand its purpose, especially the importance of Amina's return to Bangladesh and her coming to terms with what she may have given up and what the reality of her life in the U.S. is vs. her fantasies of it. I really had trouble respecting a few of the choices she made near book's end; and while that might have been enough to bump the book down one star-rating, I decided to remain generous. Because literary fiction relies perhaps more than any genre on the intricacies of human interactions, having those people mess up once in a while may be crucial to propelling the story forward. And the fact that it ended on a note that was neither saccharine nor bleak, with a few knots left to untangle but a general sense that things would work out, I was left mostly satisfied, and sorry to see this book end.

I really liked this book, and thought it presented a fascinating situation (a couple who meet on the internet, but he's American, and she's from Bangladesh) and who get married. I loved most of the book, but the last third was a little frustrating, because I wasn't as invested in Amina's parents as I probably should have been, and really wanted to know what happens after - what happens to Amina? What does she accomplish with her life? Because she seems like she would do interesting things, and I loved her point of view.

Meh. I liked the first half, in which Amina adjusts to life in Rochester. As others have pointed out, Freudenberg's prose has a strangely calming effect. But what the hell happened in Part Two? Some weird semi-incestuous stuff, cousins I couldn't keep straight, a vicious attack -- HUH? It sure went downhill fast.

This book had promise but didn't fully deliver. It kept my attention and I enjoyed the story but I wanted it to be better.

Sweet, sad, scary tale of interpersonal relations and decisions across cultures and beliefs. Excellent.

I keep recommending this book to everyone because I loved it so much. I thought it was the most accurate fictional account of the immigration process I have ever read, and I loved the main character's reflections on how the experience of immigration changed her identity as she moved from one context to another.