Love Marriage: A Novel

Written by Monica Ali

Narrated by Ayesha Dharker

Named a Best Book of 2022 So Far by The New Yorker!

“Cultural clashes, political satire, Oedipal conflicts, elegant prose—they’re all here in this romp of a book.” —Oprah Daily

A Phenomenal Book Club Pick and a New York Times Book Review Group Text Selection, Love Marriage is a glorious moving novel from Booker Prize shortlisted Monica Ali, who has “an inborn generosity that cannot be learned” (The New York Times Book Review).

In present-day London, Yasmin Ghorami is twenty-six, in training to be a doctor (like her Indian-born father), and engaged to the charismatic, upper-class Joe Sangster, whose formidable mother, Harriet, is a famous feminist. The gulf between families is vast. So, too, is the gulf in sexual experience between Yasmin and Joe.

As the wedding day draws near, misunderstandings, infidelities, and long-held secrets upend both Yasmin’s relationship and that of her parents, a “love marriage,” according to the family lore that Yasmin has believed all her life.

A gloriously acute observer of class, sexual mores, and the mysteries of the human heart, Monica Ali has written a “riveting” (BookPage, starred review) social comedy and a moving, revelatory story of two cultures, two families, and two people trying to understand one another that’s “sure to please Ali’s fans and win some new ones” (Publishers Weekly).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781797135267

Monica Ali

Monica Ali was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and grew up in England. She was named one of the 20 best young British novelists under 40 by Granta. She is the author of four previous novels, including Untold Story and Brick Lane, which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and the Guardian Book Prize, nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and was named a winner of the 2003 Discover Award for Fiction and a New York Times Editors’ Choice Book that same year. She lives in London with her husband and two children.

Reviews for Love Marriage

[Jas Badyal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It a lot of ways very similar to Brick Lane. The voice is similar, and I actually wonder if a sequel to Brick Lane would have been a stronger read. The main character is a young Bangladeshi British woman who is navigating identity as a secular Muslim, child of immigrants, entering the medical profession, and planning to get married to a white British man from a wealthy family. The side characters are her mom who is exploring her own identity as she exists the control of her husband, and her boyfriend/fiancé navigating his own story. The book at times feels trite/obvious, but the characters and vivid and develop well. I'm still thinking about them, but I just think a bit of editing would have rounded this put nicely.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Ayesha Dharker who was wonderful to listen to.

[Karen Randall · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I kept waiting for false notes but relaxed after awhile because there weren't any. An involved and involving family story with so many and such real aspects, it should receive much attention from the public. It's not short, so save it for a time when you have time to enjoy it, BUT DON'T MISS IT.
*Edit: I read Brick Lane years ago and enjoyed it, didn't realize it was the same author. Excellent.

[Audrey Hoskins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Well written and well researched.
I site full into the workings of the old East Indian ways of life.

Majority of the book is more about real life problems with career and employment issues, planning to get married, parenting today.

Absolutely worth the read.

[AnnBetz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story, complex characters, you’ll be surprised and delighted. Narrated well!

[sharon herriot · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A wonderful tale with some unexpected twists and turns. I really felt invested in the characters and eager to know what they would do next. A lovely tapestry of London life, with a microcosm of sex and relationships.
Loved the narrator too, she really brought it to life.