These Impossible Things, Salma ElWardany
These Impossible Things, Salma ElWardany
3 Rating(s)
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These Impossible Things
A Novel

Author: Salma El-Wardany

Narrator: Shazia Nicholls

Unabridged: 10 hr 56 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/07/2022

Synopsis

In this “salacious, incisive, and unapologetically Muslim” (Blair Imani, activist and bestselling author of Read This to Get Smarter) novel, three best friends navigate love, sex, faith—and the one night that changes it all. It’s always been Malak, Kees, and Jenna against the world. Since childhood, under the watchful eyes of their parents, aunties and uncles, they’ve learned to live their own lives alongside the expectations of being good Muslim women. Staying over at a boyfriend's place is disguised as a best friend’s sleepover, and tiredness can be blamed on studying instead of partying. They know they’re existing in a perfect moment. With growing older and the stakes of love and life growing higher, the delicate balancing act between rebellion and religion is becoming increasingly difficult to navigate.

Malak wants the dream: for her partner, community, and faith to coexist happily, and she wants this so much she's willing to break her own heart to get it. Kees is in love with Harry, a white Catholic man who her parents can never know about. When he proposes, she must decide between her future happiness and the life she knows and family she loves. Jenna is the life of the party, always ready for new pleasures, even though she’s plagued by a loneliness she can’t shake. Through it all, they have always had each other. But as their college years come to a close, one night changes everything when harsh truths are revealed.

As their lives begin to take different paths, Malak, Kees, and Jenna—now on the precipice of true adulthood—must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith, family, and tradition with their own needs and desires. These Impossible Things is a paean to youth and female friendship—and to all the joy and messiness love holds.

About Salma El-Wardany

Writer, poet and BBC radio presenter Salma El-Wardany performs internationally, has given 2 TEDx Talks and partners with organisations and global brands to have the uncomfortable conversations we've ignored for so long.Her work revolves around female stories and bringing the often ignored realities of women into the spotlight.

Reviews

Goodreads review by JanB

Malak, Kees, and Jenna are best friends at a university in the U.K. Their lives are full of hope and promise.  The women straddle the line between their traditional Muslim values and modern student life. Part of each of them want the Muslim traditions while also wanting to be part of Western culture......more

Goodreads review by Maren’s Reads

Summary: This is a coming of age story following the lives of three Muslim women, Malak, Kees, and Jenna, as they navigate their way through adulthood, romantic entanglements and familial obligations while staying true to their deeply held faith. It is a beautiful story of friendship and family, tho......more

Goodreads review by luce (cry baby)

❀ blog ❀ thestorygraph ❀ letterboxd ❀ tumblr ❀ ko-fi ❀ “Their laughter split the air and, in a heartbeat, lightness was back. It’s always easier to laugh about things than to cry about them.” These Impossible Things an engrossing novel that would make for a great summer read & book club pick. Salm......more

Goodreads review by Jessica

3.5 stars. There's a lot to like in this novel, which centers on female friendship. Malak, Kees, and Jenna all grow up Muslim in Britain. They have different backgrounds but they all struggle with the same tension between the traditional Muslim life their families have and the more modern life they......more

Quotes

"The complex characters are well observed and the prose is often moving... Fresh, witty, and insightful, this is an auspicious start."
 —Publishers Weekly

“Sparkling, incisive debut… While frothy and chatty, with witty dialogue and plenty of weddings and other gatherings that spark interactions among the characters, the book doesn't shy away from more serious issues... This novel is blessed by a light touch and evenhanded treatment of its two generations of characters.”—Kirkus

"A fun, witty, sharply observant work."—Library Journal

"These Impossible Things is an addictive portrait of three Muslim friends moving through a pivotal time in womanhood, caught between expectation and possibility, hungry to earn wisdom of their own. Salma El-Wardany deftly reveals searing and poignant truths about the female experience, ones so rarely confronted in fiction. What a gift to be inside this author’s mind through the pages of her beautiful and memorable writing."—Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

"This is the essential book on sisterhood that I needed to read. Beautifully written and gorgeous, Salma El-Wardany is a brilliant writer and this is a story I will never forget."—Nikita Gill, poet and author of Wild Embers

"I can't remember the last time a book consumed me like this. I truly, truly loved it. It's so beautifully written, full of warmth and love and insight; Malak, Kees and Jenna stole into my heart and stayed there. This novel captures the fierceness of female friendship better than anything I've ever read. It is a book I know I will still be thinking about for many years to come."—Beth O'Leary, international bestselling author of The Flatshare and The Road Trip

“Salacious, incisive, and unapologetically Muslim, Salma El-Wardany’s bold and brilliant story doesn’t shy away from the taboo subjects of religion and sex. These Impossible Things shows that Muslim women are multifaceted and complex despite the dearth of representation we are allowed.”—Blair Imani, activist and bestselling author of Read This to Get Smarter

“Moving, telling, glorious; girlhood giving way to something urgent and beginning. This is a bracing, tender exploration of friendship, family and faith and their gaping complications. Irresistible.”—Yrsa Daley-Ward, bestselling author of bone and The How

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