Pakistan Meets Pride and Prejudice
The Pride and Prejudice retelling you do not want to miss out on is Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal! I was laughing my pants off from start to finish. A fresh take on a very popular and beloved novel is usually challenging, but Kamal brings such a unique flair to this retelling with her humour, culture, storytelling, and modernization.
Humour is one aspect Jane Austen is known for in her writing. However, many people upon reading Austen fail to take notice. Kamal writes with the witty, hilarious humour of Jane Austen, while keeping the dialogues modern, so any reader can get the humour.
I love to travel and experience new cultures. While I have never been to Pakistan, I feel I experienced and know so much more about Pakistan’s culture, after finishing Unmarriagebale. From the various generation views, language, women’s topics, education, fashion, courting and marriage customs, and my personal favourite, food; it’s all in there.
Even though it is a well known storyline, Kamal kept you reading with her unique takes on scenes. Many of the chapters ended on cliff hangers, and I wanted to see how outstandingly situations would play out in the coming chapters.
The character names, although different from the original characters, were easy to follow along with, as they were plays on pronunciations and spelling. I love how Kamal included a character called Harris Bigg-Wither. For those who don’t know it is the same name of a man who was engaged to Austen herself for one whole night. I found I got a better sense of the various characters’ thoughts and feelings compared to Pride and Prejudice. I adored how she wrote Mr. and Mrs. Binat’s love story. Her portrayals of Mari and Lady were perfect. I reread the scene when Darsee gives Alys a book. It demonstrating an amazing spark between the two characters, and what woman does not enjoy getting a book from the man she loves? Lastly, Farhat Kaleen’s (Mr. Collin’s) letter was the best I have ever read.
I am curious to know if it was set currently, instead of 2000, what scenes and viewpoints would change in the story. Kamal also packs a lot of fun information at the end such as charities mentioned, books mentioned, her back story with Jane Austen, questions for a book club, and so much more! All she needs to add are some recipes for the delicious food mentioned!
Unmarriageable is a perfect retelling that would make Austen herself laugh out loud. I could not put it down, and you won’t be able to either!
While I did receive a copy of Unmarriageable for review, I did buy a digital copy for myself because I want to have It with me wherever I go, as I know it is a story I will reread over and over! Getting a free copy in no way influenced my rating or review.
