A powerful, funny, richly observed tour de force by one of America’s most acclaimed young writers: a story of love and marriage, secrets and betrayals, that takes us from the backyards of America to the back alleys and villages of Bangladesh. In The Newlyweds, we follow the story of Amina Mazid, who at age twenty-four moves from Bangladesh to Rochester, New York, for love. A hundred years ago, Amina would have been called a mail-order bride. But this is an arranged marriage for the twenty-first century: Amina is wooed by—and woos—George Stillman online. For Amina, George offers a chance for a new life and a different kind of happiness than she might find back home. For George, Amina is a woman who doesn’t play games. But each of them is hiding something: someone from the past they thought they could leave behind. It is only when they put an ocean between them—and Amina returns to Bangladesh—that she and George find out if their secrets will tear them apart, or if they can build a future together. The Newlyweds is a surprising, suspenseful story about the exhilarations—and real-life complications—of getting, and staying, married. It stretches across continents, generations, and plains of emotion. What has always set Nell Freudenberger apart is the sly, gimlet eye she turns on collisions of all kinds—sexual, cultural, familial. With The Newlyweds, she has found her perfect subject for that vision, and characters to match. She reveals Amina’s heart and mind, capturing both her new American reality and the home she cannot forget, with seamless authenticity, empathy, and grace. At once revelatory and affecting, The Newlyweds is a stunning achievement.
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"A good friend once told me that good fiction teaches just as much as non-fiction does, and this novel is the perfect example. Though not a true story, I learned so many fascinating details about another culture and saw my own country through new eyes. Each character was so very well-developed and I loved seeing Amina come into her own as George simultaneously seemed to come out of his. Nell did a great job at using that great character development to her advantage; though Kim or Amina's parents may have acted in ways that frustrated me, any other behaviors would not have actually made sense and the would made the story less authentic. I could not stop reading this book not because it was a suspenseful page-turner, but because I just so enjoyed it and felt I was immersed in such a high-quality piece of work that I yearned to keep experiencing it! I can't wait to read Nell's other books."
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Caitlin (5 out of 5 stars)