Great storytelling

Unbecoming is a beautifully written novel for all age groups even though it centers around teens. The style of the novel immediately triggers the association with the teen adventure genre. But while the reader falls in love with the main characters, Laylah and Noor, expecting that the story will stick to the convention and we will witness how the two of them resolve all their challenges successfully and come on top at the end, the writer contrasts the harsh reality of America in 2024 to the engaging and light way of narration. It involves the Bollywood references that extend this contrast even more, bringing it to the verge of grotesque, surreal situations that Laylah finds herself in several times throughout the book. In the end, the teens don’t win over terrifying reality, they rather question what winning means. What emerges is acceptance, bravery, and female solidarity. The story draws from Indian experience in culture, but the effect is that it reminds us that examples from any culture are universally significant. Therefore, even though Indian teen girls will enjoy this novel maybe just a tad more than the rest of the audience, because of all the cultural references, this is the novel written from the universal feminist standpoint. This novel will make you feel strangely safe while presenting to you all the dangers of our political reality. It is not a coincidence that the author is a physician and a journalist because it offers answers. But Unbecoming is beyond a diagnosis of the political moment: it underscores the humanity of all women, that is so often ignored throughout history. It is timely, it is topical, but it is first of all very well written.

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