Book Club October 2022- Hana Khan Carries On

By: Uzma Jalaluddin
Published Year: 2021
Pages: 368
Publisher: Berkley

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Hana Khan's family-run halal restaurant is on its last legs. So when a flashy competitor gets ready to open nearby, bringing their inevitable closure even closer, she turns to her anonymously-hosted podcast, and her lively and long-lasting relationship with one of her listeners, for advice.

But a hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana's growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival business. Who might not be a complete stranger after all...

What I thought

This book was my pick. I heard about it in reference to Mindy Kaling and Amazon Studios buying the rights to make it into a movie. I knew that I wanted to read it before the movie came out, so I figured that choosing it for book club would be extra fun.

Hana lives in Toronto and works part time at her mother’s restaurant, Three Sisters Biryani Poutine. When a new Halal restaurant moves into town and threatens her family’s already struggling business, Hana isn’t happy. Then she meets the restaurant owner’s cute, but rude, son. When not at the restaurant, Hana has an internship at a radio station, where she is working towards one day having her own show. She also has an anonymous podcast where she has been communicating with a stranger for months.

This book was advertised as a modern day re-telling of You Got Mail. I would say that’s accurate, but I also think this book is a lot more. It tackles a lot of cultural and racial issues in addition to just being a romance story.

I really enjoyed Hana as a character. I thought she was strong but had just enough of the insecurity to make it feel like she was truly 24 years old and not a 40 year old being passed off as 24. At times, this book even read a little more like a YA novel to me, but not in a bad way. I also really liked Aydin and I appreciated their chemistry. I loved how she didn’t take his shit.

I did feel at times the story wandered and got a little bit long. The first half of the book definitely focuses on the forbidden romance side of the story. The second half dives head first into racism against Muslims and women who wear hijabs right in central Toronto. While I appreciated the story line and acknowledge that it needed to be told, I felt a little bit of whiplash with the transition. I also felt that way a little bit with how the story ended, so I wonder if that’s just the author’s style. Personally, I think it could’ve been a little smoother at times, but it wasn’t anything that made me dislike the story.

What book club thought

We all agreed that the characters were the best part of the story. A few members commented how much they liked reading a story about the culture, as they had never really read anything like it before. I think for people branching out into reading stories by authors of color, this is a good first step. We also adored Hana’s Aunty and her cousin. I would hands down read a sequel just for their shenanigans. Overall, I think this is a great book club choice. There are a lot of discussion points that tackle some heavier issues, but it’s a light quick read. Plus, you’ll eventually have a movie you can all see together!