Booklist Reviews
Alys Binat, the second of five daughters, is an independent, forward-thinking English teacher in Pakistan or, as Alys likes to call it, "[t]he home of the marriage-industrial complex." When the rich and handsome Bungles becomes smitten with Alys' older sister, her family eagerly awaits an advantageous proposal. The classic plot unfolds, but with rich descriptions of colorful, chiffon anarkalis instead of empire-waist gowns, chai and samosas instead of tea and scones. Kamal's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice is faithful, with scene-by-scene recreations that will inevitably cause the reader to picture Austen's original at the same time. Mrs. Binat beautifies her daughters with chickpea masks; Mari bores her sisters with Islamic preachings. That juxtaposition along with plenty of metareferential allusions are what makes this version so much fun. Even the most devoted Austenites will be surprised with how much they judge Darsee as arrogant in the beginning of the novel yet suddenly adore him in the end. This love letter to Austen reexamines sisterhood, society, and marriage in Pakistani culture and includes a fleshed-out epilogue that will satisfy today's readers. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.
BookPage Reviews
Unmarriageable
If marriage is the prize, you'd better be skilled in the art of "grabbing it," it being an eligible bachelor. In her Pride and Prejudice adaptation, Soniah Kamal transports Jane Austen's narrative to early-2000s Pakistan, imbuing the often-reimagined story with a fresh lexicon. Unmarriageable proves the timelessness of Austen and how her centuries-old plotline finds a home in many cultures.
The Binat family has fallen far, deceived out of their fortunes by Mr. Binat's own brother, and have been making due with reduced circumstances for more than a decade. To Mrs. Binat's chagrin, her two oldest daughters must work, finding employment as teachers at the local school. All five Binat girls—Jena, Alys, Mari, Qitty and Lady—await their (mother's) longed-for fate of a good marriage.
Though her prose lacks Austen's sardonic bite and subtlety, Kamal paints endearing relationships between Jena and Alys, and between Alys and her best friend, Sherry Looclus. Due to the lack of well-developed chemistry, love matches between Alys and Valentine Darsee, and Jena and Fahad "Bungles" Bingla, unfortunately fall flat, but the real spark to Kamal's writing comes whenever Mrs. Binat opens her mouth. The mother's hysterics over appearances and the father's frequent retreat to his garden (plants can't talk, after all) provide much of the comic relief. Kamal skewers Pakistani society over their obsessions and hypocrisies much in the same way Austen did hers. Alys, told at one point by the condescending Beena dey Bagh that it must be hard for her mother to have two 30-year-old daughters unmarried, retorts that it "seems to be even harder on absolute strangers."
As an admirer of Austen's work, I appreciate how others want to emulate her. It is a truth universally acknowledged, however, that it is quite the undertaking. Altogether, Unmarriageable is light and entertaining. Meddling mothers, conniving sisters, arrogant men and a marriage-minded society provide plenty of fodder, and in the end, class clashes and societal expectations transcend the ages as well as geography.
This article was originally published in the January 2019 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Copyright 2019 BookPage Reviews.Kirkus Reviews
A modern-day retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, this time set in Pakistan. Why so many writers choose to retell Pride and Prejudice is a question that will never be answered. You can read versions of the novel in which the characters are gay, Amish, or battling zombies, though not, fortunately, all of the above. Kamal's (An Isolated Incident, 2014) latest effort locates the familiar story in Pakistan in 2001. Here, the Bennets are the Binats, with sisters Elizabeth, Jane, Kitty, Mary, and Lydia becoming Alysba, Jena, Qitty, Mari, and Lady, respectively. Mr. Darcy appears as—wait for it—Mr. Darsee. And so on. Kamal sticks closely to the original plot, so there aren't any surprises there. Alysba Binat, like her predecessor, is smart, headstrong, and a little too quick to judge. Likewise, her mother is a little too eager for her daughters to marry; her father a little too retiring; etc. All these similarities, unfortunately, draw attention to the gap bet ween Austen's writing and Kamal's. Kamal can be heavy-footed where Austen was light, plodding where Austen was quicksilver. Kamal's dialogue sometimes sounds more like something from a doctoral thesis than like something someone might actually say. At one point, Darsee tells Alysba, "That book made me believe I could have a Pakistani identity inclusive of an English-speaking tongue. We've been forced to seek ourselves in the literature of others for too long." She responds, "But reading widely can lead to an appreciation of the universalities across cultures." But as those lines also reveal, Kamal's version of the classic novel highlights issues of colonialism, race, and Pakistani identity. Her insights are pointed and smart. Flaws aside, Kamal's novel is a charming update to the original. Put your feet up and enjoy it. Kamal's version has its flaws, but overall it's a delicious book, something to sink your teeth into. Copyright Kirkus 2018 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.
Library Journal Reviews
With the marital prospects of her five daughters not so bright, Mrs. Binat eagerly anticipates a big wedding in town where eligible bachelors might surface. Oldest daughter Jena gets lucky, but independent-minded Alys does
Library Journal Reviews
Publishers Weekly Reviews
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