Take It Back: A Novel

Written by Kia Abdullah

Narrated by Sartaj Garewal, Sophie Bentinck and Tania Rodrigues

From author Kia Abdullah, Take It Back is a harrowing and twisting courtroom thriller that keeps you guessing until the end.

One victim.
Four accused.
Who is telling the truth?

Zara Kaleel, one of London's brightest legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like Jodie Wolfe.

When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis. Even Jodie's best friend doesn't believe her.

But Zara does—and she is determined to fight for Jodie—to find the truth in the face of public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide, the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

“[A] riveting, thought-provoking legal thriller...Abdullah is definitely a writer to watch.” -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

"completely original...a shocking legal thriller that goes where few legal thrillers have gone before...stunning" -- New York Times Book Review

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Dec 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781250776174

Kia Abdullah

KIA ABDULLAH is a novelist and travel writer from London. Her books include Truth Be Told and Take It Back. She has written for The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times of London, and The Telegraph and is the founder of Asian Booklist, a nonprofit organization that helps readers discover new books by British Asian authors.

Reviews for Take It Back

[Mara Lyons · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was such a fascinating, whirlwind read! Take It Back by Kia Abdullah revolves around an accusation and trial where four Muslim teenage boys from London are accused of assaulting a low income, white classmate with facial deformities.

The book largely follows Zara, the victim's counselor/advocate who was formerly a successful lawyer. She is a Muslim who defies many conservative traditions in her community. Throughout the novel, it is unclear what actually happened and different perspectives are presented by those directly involved.

What I found most fascinating was how the perception of culture and race play out in the Muslim and white communities, with clashing animosity and violence on both sides, exacerbated by local media.

All in all, this was a compelling legal thriller/drama. I both listened to and read this book. The audiobook narration was excellent, and used a full cast for each of the perspectives.

[Emily Lassiter Branch · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an excellent read on multiple levels. It's a fascinating legal thriller with many twists and turns - it kept me guessing as to who was telling the truth, right up until the last few pages. It's also rich with thought-provoking commentary on social and cultural divides - even within families. It's the first in a series about Zara Kaleel, a bright young lawyer who left a promising career to work at a center that provides aid to victims of sexual assault. She's an interesting, flawed character and I'm on the lookout for the next book in the series once it's been released in the US.
The narration of the audiobook is excellent.
Thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.