The Newlyweds

Description

A fabulous 21st century love story about getting, and staying, wed. Amina met George online. Within months she has left her home in Bangladesh and is living in George's house in the American suburbs. Theirs is a very twenty-first century union, forged from afar yet echoing the traditions of the arranged marriage. But as Amina struggles to find her place in America, it becomes clear that neither she nor George have been entirely honest with each other. Both have brought to the marriage a secret - a vital, hidden part of themselves, which will reveal who they are and whether their future is together or an ocean apart.

Nell Freudenberger is the author of the novel The Dissident (longlisted for the Orange Prize) and the story collection Lucky Girls, winner of the PEN/Malamud Award and shortlisted for the Orange New Writers' Prize and a New York Times Book Review Notable Book. She was named a New Yorker '20 Under 40' writer and one of Granta's Best Young American Novelists. She lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Took off like a rocket, taking me with it * The Times * A convincing and rather compelling story of a very modern marriage and a real heroine to root for * Daily Mail * A wonderful, funny, inventive novel that takes you slowly by surprise the more you read. Highly recommended * Red (Book of the Month) * The intrigue and small disappointments of marriage are painstakingly captured. * Psychologies * A Fresh and modern look at relationships, told with heart. * Elle * A charming and serious tale of marriage, family and identity. Its prose style is intimate, almost conspiratorial... threading its arm around the reader confidently. The writing is clear and spare... yet Freudenberger's investigation into what makes relationships work... is complex and sophisticated... Freudenberger approaches her subject with great sensitivity, a heavy sense of the seriousness of life - and much wry humour. * Independent on Sunday * There are some piercing cultural observations... the chapters zip along with purpose and the novel flits effortlessly between the false intimacy of suburban America and the closely knit gossipy communities of Dhaka * Independent * A powerful sense of empathy, of being able to imagine what it is to be soemone else, to feel what someone else feels -- Mohsin Hamid Every minute I was away from this book I was longing to be back in the world she created -- Ann Patchett, author of 'State of Wonder' This classic tale of missed chances, crushing errors of judgment, and scarring sacrifices, all compounded by cultural differences, is perfectly pitched, piercingly funny, and exquisitely heartbreaking * Booklist starred review * Wise, timely, ripe with humour and complexity, The Newlyweds is one of the most believable love stories of our young century -- Gary Shteyngart, author of 'Super Sad True Love Story'