Erika Nerdypants's Reviews > The Newlyweds

I have to be honest, I was completely underwhelmed by this book. There was so much build-up around it, but for me the story just didn't deliver. First off, the title seemed misleading, as it wasn't so much the story of a marriage or a relationship, but Amina's immigration story. At times I felt like I was reading an Anne Tyler novel with the usual quirky characters, but unlike Tyler, this author didn't make me fall in love with her protagonists. George was one dimensional, a stolid, secretive man whom we never really get to know at all. He came across more as a prop for Amina's story than a player in his own right. I found myself wondering what he was really like. Did he eat curry before Amina entered his life? Both Amina and her husband came of as stereotypical stick figures who immediately fell into gender and race specific roles without questioning their validity. I can't fault the writing, it is clear and evocative, it was what kept me hanging in there to the end.