DIGITAL DOMAIN
Rearranged - Ruth Saberton/Sofia Latif (2012)
Amelia 'Mills' Ali has just graduated with a degree in English and has big plans for her future, beginning with an internship for one of the most prestigious Asian magazines, based in London. But Mills lives in Bradford with her traditional Muslim family and having finished university the expectation is for her to now get married, and her parents have already chosen her husband in Pakistan - Subhi, a respectable doctor. But Mills has other ideas and convinces her parents to delay the wedding for a year whilst she undertakes her internship, and attempts to find her own husband. So begins Mills' adventure in London. From supermarket dating to Muslim Matrimonials, Mills sets out to find her soulmate, but the realities of dating for a young British, Muslim woman leave a lot to be desired. After several failings and the realisation that she is in love with someone who is already taken, she requests that her marriage to Subhi be brought forward and Mills looks set to give up her home and dream job for a stranger. This is a fun read and the religious and cultural premise of the novel really gives a fresh take on chick lit. However, I felt the main relationship was made too transparent from the beginning and although it was affected by various obstacles, it still felt a bit too predictable. (JC)
