Hana Khan Carries On by Uzma Jalaluddin

What is it about?

25-year-old Canadian Muslim Hana Khan has a lot on her plate: she is an aspiring broadcast journalist, trying to make her first foray into the world of radio during a highly sought after internship; she works as a waitress at her family restaurant Three Sisters, which – frankly – has seen better days; she also hosts an anonymous podcast, which may have led to the beginning of a beautiful friendship (or budding romance?) with one of her loyal listeners. 

When a new halal restaurant is about to open in the same street, the Three Sisters are threatened with ruin. It doesn’t help that Hana is weirdly attracted to Aydin, the competitor’s young, attractive owner. Isn’t he supposed to be her enemy, the cause of her family’s business problems, the one she needs to take down?

Is it any good?

I did enjoy reading this book. I thought Hana was a relatable character, a typical mid-20s young woman trying to figure out who she wants to be and what she wants to do in life. Sure, she is flawed and sometimes makes the wrong choices, but she learns from her mistakes and grows as a person over the course of the story. 

I loved the broader themes of family and community, and the different perspectives of both Hana and her parents in regards to immigration, home and roots – the conversations between Hana and her mother, I imagine, take place in many households between parents who have migrated to a foreign country in search of a better life and their children who were already born there. 

One thing I wasn’t particularly fond of was the fact that the author introduces a lot of characters: besides Hana, there is her immediate family, her brother-in-law, her best friends from childhood, her love interest, her co-workers and boss at the radio station, her visiting relatives, and the people from her neighborhood. This is not a problem in itself, but with a myriad of characters, it is often difficult to fully flesh them all out, and some of them remain pale. We get to see bits and pieces, but don’t get the whole picture, and the storylines become muddled.

Favorite character?

My favorite character in this book is Kawkab Khala, Hana’s rebellious aunt. At the beginning, she is somewhat of a mystery, but as the story unfolds and more and more bits and pieces of her past are revealed, she becomes a role model for Hana – someone to look up to, someone who connects the dots in a complicated family history, and someone who truly fights for what she believes in.

I also have a soft spot for Hana’s father, who has gone through a lot and still remains a source of strength for his daughters, offering unwavering support.

Most memorable quote?

“’When we first moved to Canada, people were unkind all the time. More than once, strangers yelled things at me, obscenities and profanities I didn’t understand. (…) It didn’t matter. What they said – what anyone said – it didn’t hurt so very badly. Because I was here, you see? (…) We knew that things would get better when our roots had gone a little deeper, when we had settled for more firmly into the soil of this country.’

(…) My mom’s perspective was based on her expectations as an immigrant. She believed that enduring some hatred was inevitable, that it was the price one paid for living as a minority in a new and sometimes hostile country. I understood her perspective, but I didn’t agree.”

Conclusion?

Hana Khan Carries On has your typical rom-com ingredients, the very popular enemies-to-lovers trope, and yet offers a fresh perspective on the Muslim community in Canada. The author paints a vivid picture what life is like for first and second generation immigrants, the unbreakable bond that connects them and the community spirit where they draw their strength from. I’d like to see more Muslim representation in rom-coms, and am curious about Uzma Jalaluddin’s other book, Ayesha At Last – which is already on my TBR.  

Trigger warning: racism, hate crime, islamophobia

AT A GLANCE

Title: Hana Khan Carries On

By: Uzma Jalaluddin

Published by: Atlantic Books (2021)

Pages: 358

Language: English