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A Novel
by Kasim Ali
For fans of The Big Sick and Nick Hornby―a magnetic debut novel about a young man who has hidden a romance from his parents, unable to choose between familial obligation and the future he truly wants.
If love really is a choice, how do you decide where your loyalties lie?
It's the countdown to the New Year, and Nur is steeling himself to tell his parents that he's seeing someone. A young British Pakistani man, Nur has spent years omitting details about his personal life to maintain his image as the golden child. And it's come at a cost.
Once, Nur was a restless college student, struggling to fit in. At a party, he meets Yasmina, a beautiful and self-possessed aspiring journalist. They start a conversation―first awkward, then absorbing. And as their relationship develops, so too does Nur's self-destruction. He falls deeper into traps of his own making, attempting to please both Yasmina and his family until he must finally reveal the truth: Yasmina is Black, and he loves her.
Deftly transporting readers between that first night and the years beyond, Kasim Ali's Good Intentions exposes with unblinking authenticity the complexities of immigrant families and racial prejudice. It is a crackling, wryly clever depiction of standing on the precipice of adulthood, piecing together who it is you're meant to be.
"Alluring ... [A] thoughtful portrait of young people weighing the bonds of tradition with personal identity. Readers will root for this imperfect love until the end." ―Publishers Weekly
"There is something of a Sally Rooney vibe to this story about twentysomethings navigating adult waters (the snappy dialogue, the conflicted emotions, the relationship dramas) ... This timely, savvy novel is recommended." ―Library Journal
"As Ali tackles the difficulty of racism within ethnic groups tied to assumptions of solidarity, he succinctly delineates memorable characters and complex interactions ... In all, [Good Intentions is] a vitally important exploration of deep-rooted prejudice, and the disconnect between understanding and the genuine practice of inclusiveness." ―Booklist
"Compelling. In the tradition of Spike Lee's film School Daze, Ali's novel explores the ways that racism may do its insidious damaged even among those who are traditionally not its targets and victims." ―Kirkus Reviews
"Good Intentions is a heartbreaking story of a young man caught between worlds―between youth and adulthood, between family and passion, between ambition and survival. Kasim Ali builds a quiet yet unbearable tension while examining the complexities of racial prejudice. An unbelievably gorgeous debut." ―Angie Kim, bestselling author of Miracle Creek
"Good Intentions is so absorbing, compelling, and beautifully written. Its ending brought me close to tears―what an incredibly assured debut. I can't wait to see what Kasim Ali writes next." ―Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare
This information about Good Intentions was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Kasim Ali works at Penguin Random House, has previously been short-listed for Hachette's Mo Siewcharran Prize and long-listed for the 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, and has contributed to The Good Journal. He comes from Birmingham and lives in London. Good Intentions is Ali's first novel.
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