Review - The Obscure Logic of the Heart by Priya Basil

I was delighted to be given the opportunity of reading this book for the Transworld Book Group Reading challenge.

‘I’m part of the Transworld Book Group!’

The Obscure Logic of the Heart by Priya Basil

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

jaffa's rating 2paws - he gave up long before I did and fell asleep !

Whilst studying in London, Anil and Lina meet and fall in love. Yet they come from very different backgrounds; Anil is a non-practising Sikh from a wealth Kenyan family, and Lina is a devout Muslim from a middle class family in Birmingham. Lina’s parents want her to marry a Muslim man of their choosing and as a result Anil and Lina are destined to keep their love secret, as predictably fate conspires against them. Theoretically good, the novel encompasses a whole range of conflict, not just the frustrations encountered by the star crossed lovers, but also the effect that post 9/11 had on the world’s larger arena.

The book’s stunning cover and the promise of a 21st century Romeo and Juliet sold the story to me. I so wanted to love this book, but struggled with it from the beginning, and whilst acknowledging the writer’s talent I have to say that I didn’t enjoy the book as much as I expected. I found the narrative cumbersome and quite confusing in places, and by the end of the story didn’t engage with either Anil or Lina enough to care what happened to them.

I hate being disappointed by a book, and it just proves you should never judge a book by its cover.