I’m thrilled to be taking part in the blog tour for This Green and Pleasant Land by Ayisha Malik. Thank you to Tracy Fenton for inviting me to take part and to Zaffre Books for an e-copy to read via NetGalley. Before I give you my thoughts, here’s the blurb.

The Blurb

In the sleepy village of Babbel’s End, trouble is brewing.

Bilal Hasham is having a mid-life crisis. His mother has just died, and he finds peace lying in a grave he’s dug in the garden. His elderly Auntie Rukhsana has come to live with him, and forged an unlikely friendship with village busybody, Shelley Hawking. His wife Mariam is distant and distracted, and his stepson Haaris is spending more time with his real father.

Bilal’s mother’s dying wish was to build a mosque in Babbel’s End, but when Shelley gets wind of this scheme, she unleashes the forces of hell. Will Bilal’s mosque project bring his family and his beloved village together again, or drive them apart?

Warm, wise and laugh-out-loud funny, This Green and Pleasant Land is a life-affirming look at love, faith and the meaning of home.

My Review

The death of a parent is always hard, especially if he or she makes a deathbed request. How can you refuse? Bilal agrees to his mother’s request but it’s an impossible task – to build a mosque near his home in the village of Babbel’s End. If the village was in a Muslim country then it wouldn’t be such a big problem but Babbel’s End is in rural England. Bilal knows he has a fight on his hands and pretty soon, the village is torn in two.

This is a very timely book. It’s fair to say that tensions are running high in the UK and politics is becoming increasingly polarised. This novel reflects this but in a wise and observant way. Using multiple voices we get to hear from people on opposing sides. There’s Shelley, the leader of the ‘No to the mosque’ camp. At first she appears to be a NIMBY but it becomes clear that her motivation to control things stems from not being heard at home by her apathetic husband. There’s Bilal and his wife Mariam. His dedication to carry out his mother’s request rocks his marriage as well as the village. The vicar, Richard, is trying to hold the two sides of the village together as well as battle his love for one of his parishioners, Anne, a grieving mother. But my favourite character by far is Bilal’s Auntie Rukhsana. Bilal was raised by his mother and his auntie and so when his auntie becomes unwell, she comes to stay in Babbel’s End. She was widowed young and was sheltered by her older sister and the surrounding Muslim community. Removed from that safety net, she begins to grow in Babbel’s End. She speaks little English but it doesn’t stop her from finding friendship with Shelley. Despite being on opposing sides, Auntie Rukhsana’s generous spirit and perseverance wins Shelley over.

This wise and sensitive novel doesn’t shy away from the UK’s colonial past though. It’s not done in a ‘bashed over the head’ way but a subtle pointing out that the British brought their own culture, including churches, to a country it occupied i.e. India. That wisdom and sensitivity is extended to other topics, particularly grief in all its facets. From the loss of Bilal’s mother to the loss of Anne’s son and the effect that had on the village as a whole. There’s also Mariam’s grief of being abandoned by her first husband – the father of her son – and the temptation he brings when he comes back into her life.

So the main premise of this book may be the attempt to build a mosque in a village but there’s a lot more depth to it. Sometimes hilarious, sometimes poignant, this is a story with wonderful characters that will live on long after you finish reading it.

You can buy This Green and Pleasant Land here

Or alternatively pop down to your local bookstore!

 

About the Author

Ayisha Malik is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner, and lover of books. She read English Literature and went on to complete an MA in Creative Writing. She has spent various spells photocopying, volunteering, being a publicist at Random House, and managing editor at Cornerstones Literary Consultancy. Her novels include, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged and The Other Half of Happiness. She is also the ghost writer for GBBO winner, Nadiya Hussain and has contributed to the anthology, A Change is Gonna Come.

Ayisha was one of WH Smith’s Fresh Talent picks, Winter 2016. This Green and Pleasant Land is her latest novel.