We at The Book Sieve are constantly on the lookout for books that should be on our to-be-read list. Thankfully, more books by Muslim authors or with Muslim characters are now hitting the bookshelves. In an attempt to encourage Muslim authors and to find stories that we and you all can resonate with, we have been making a list of books by Muslim authors that will be published in 2023.
Here is part one of this list (in no specific order).
1- Home is a Silhouette by Kataru Yahya
Genre: Fiction
This debut book by a Ghanaian author is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast.
“Asiya Abdullah has it all. But still, her heart is restless. She yearns for a closer relationship with her mother and friends who truly care about her. When a single mistake forces her into the grasp of a successful, powerful, and wanted man, Asiya’s life is thrust into a dark and violent world hidden behind the glittering walls of a mansion.
Lila has long since given up the idea of escaping. Five years have been stolen from her, and with little to go back to, she obediently serves as a maid to the Master of the house. Lila knows she’s a shell of herself and surrounded by people she cannot trust, but with nowhere as a home for her heart, what else can she do?
When the two girls’ paths converge, their worlds shatter.
HOME IS A SILHOUETTE is a stunning debut by Kataru Yahya, spinning a multi-POV loose retelling of Beauty and the Beast set in Ghana, where not all fairy tales are magical.”
2- You Think You Know Me by Ayaan Mohamud
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction
The second book on this list is another debut novel.
“A stunning debut about finding the strength to speak up against hate and fear, for fans of The Hate U Give and I Am Thunder. Hanan has always been encouraged to be a good girl, a quiet girl, never making trouble. When her classmates treat her as a target for their racist bullying, and her teachers use her as their perfect Muslim poster girl, she keeps smiling and keeps her mouth shut. They don’t see past her headscarf, but she knows she is so much more than that. Then a local man is murdered, tensions run high and Muslims become targets for even worse abuse. After a terrifying attack, Hanan decides that it’s time to make her voice heard…it’s time to shake the world.”
3- Much Ado About Nada by Uzma Jalaluddin
Genre: Romance, Fiction
Back with a light-hearted romance Uzma Jalaluddin, author of Ayesha At Last, has penned this novel inspired by Jane Austen’s Persuasion.
“Nada Syed is stuck. On the cusp of thirty, she’s still living at home with her brothers and parents in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood of Toronto, resolutely ignoring her mother’s unsubtle pleas to get married already. While Nada has a good job as an engineer, it’s a far cry from realizing her start-up dreams for her tech baby, Ask Apa, the app that launched with a whimper instead of a bang because of a double-crossing business partner. Nothing in her life has turned out the way it was supposed to, and Nada feels like a failure. Something needs to change, but the past is holding on too tightly to let her move forward.
Nada’s best friend Haleema is determined to pry her from her shell…and what better place than at the giant annual Muslim conference held downtown, where Nada can finally meet Haleema’s fiancé, Zayn. And did Haleema mention Zayn’s brother Baz will be there?
What Haleema doesn’t know is that Nada and Baz have a past–some of it good, some of it bad and all of it secret. At the conference, that past all comes hurtling at Nada, bringing new complications and a moment of reckoning. Can Nada truly say goodbye to once was or should she hold tight to her dreams and find their new beginnings?”
4- Between Two Moons by Aisha Abdel Gawad
Genre: Literary Fiction
Aisha Abdel Gawad’s book would have been a great read for Ramadan and the outline hints that the genre might be leaning toward young adult as well.
“A deeply moving family story about identity, faith, and belonging set in the Muslim immigrant enclave of Bay Ridge, Brooklyn following three siblings coming of age over the course of one Ramadan
It’s the holy month of Ramadan, and twin sisters Amira and Lina are about to graduate from high school in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. On the precipice of adulthood, they plan to embark on a summer of teenage revelry, trying on new identities and testing the limits of what they can get away with while still under their parents’ roof. But the twins’ expectations of a summer of freedom collide with their older brother’s return from prison, and his mysterious behavior threatens to undo the delicate family balance.
Meanwhile, outside the family’s apartment, a storm is brewing in Bay Ridge. A raid on a local business sparks a protest that brings the Arab community together, and a senseless act of violence threatens to tear them apart. Everyone’s motives are called into question as an alarming sense of disquiet pervades the neighborhood. With everything spiraling out of control, how will Amira and Lina know whom to trust?”
5- When a Brown Girl Flees by Aamna Qureshi
Genre: Young Adult
Through nothing but chance the fifth book on this list is also by a female author about a female protagonist. This Young Adult novel seems to be a very promising read.
“After Zahra Paracha makes a decision at odds with her beliefs, her mother forces Zahra to make an impossible choice about her future. So Zahra runs away. A train and a plane ride later, she finds herself in New York, where she relinquishes her past in favor of a new future. There, she must learn who she is without the marionette strings of control in her mother’s hands. There, she must learn who she wishes to become.”
That’s it for round one of 2023 book publications by Muslim authors. A second list in another blog is forthcoming, be on the lookout!