Stevie‘s review of Nightingale by Andrea Bramhall
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 11 May 14
Andrea Bramhall isn’t afraid to tackle difficult subjects, much less plotlines, that don’t follow typical romance tropes, as her previous novel, Clean Slate, made abundantly clear. This time she tackles the thorny issue of what it means to balance traditional and more modern values without alienating family or friends and while staying true to oneself. I’m not in a position to pass judgment on the cultural accuracy of the lives she depicts, but the parts of the story set in parts of England familiar to me certainly ring true, and her depiction of the differing views of the various characters feel fair and non-judgmental. Told both in the present and in flashbacks to a few years before, we see the two heroines come together, separate, and then try against all the odds to be reunited. And what odds those are!
Charlie first encounters Hazaar, whose name means Nightingale, when she arrives to audition for her place on a music course as a mature undergraduate student. Their meeting takes place at the college where Hazaar is in the final year of her first degree and hoping to stay on to complete a master’s degree and possibly then a doctorate. The two are instantly attracted to each other, but are both cautious, Charlie due to having already lost one love – her childhood friend who committed suicide after years of abuse by her father – and Hazaar due to the belief that her family would disapprove of any behaviour from her that deviated too far from their cultural norms. Charlie’s family, however, accept Hazaar as soon as she is introduced to them, and the girls stay together throughout their university years.
However, just as Hazaar is preparing to come out to her family, knowing she may be rejected by them forever, she receives news that her father and brother are in serious financial trouble, as well as grave personal danger, and decides that the only way to save them is to marry into a wealthy, though also corrupt, family. Of course, this means she will have to split up with Charlie before the wedding.
After the devastation of what she sees as her rejection by Hazaar – not having been told the full story – Charlie finishes her degree and gets a job with the British Foreign Office, working in Pakistan first with would-be-immigrants to the UK and then with mothers who have been forcibly separated from their British-born children. One day she receives a call from a distressed woman, who claims to be in the country against her will, and who sounds very much like Hazaar. Even though helping the mystery woman goes against most of the rules, Charlie and her team are determined to do something, and keep on trying in the face of all manner of dangers.
I love this book. Although some of the Muslim characters are bad guys, we see many more who are sympathetic characters trying to live their lives as best they can. Charlie, who reads Arabic and speaks Urdu, never allows her team to blame religion for the deeds of twisted men misquoting the Quran to justify their own evil. Hazaar’s family has a complex mix of individuals within it, and all of them get the endings they deserve. This is in no way a gentle book – bad things happen to good people – but the ending is ultimately one of hope for the future. Well worth multiple re-readings.
Grade: A
Summary:
When Charlie Porter meets Hazaar Alim her first year of university, she’s instantly smitten. Hazaar has it all: beauty, talent, and brains. What she doesn’t realize is that Hazaar’s future has already been decided, and Charlie has no place in it.
Hazaar desperately wants to break with her traditions and stay with Charlie, but when forced to choose, she chooses her family over love. When she realizes the choice she made is the worst one possible, it’s too late.
Years later, while working in Pakistan as a diplomat and negotiator, Charlie receives a phone call from a woman who says her British sister-in-law is to be killed for the family’s honor and asks if someone can save her.
Charlie and Hazaar are on a collision course with destiny. If they make it out alive, can they believe in their love once again?
Read an excerpt.
