Hi friends, happy Monday! I hope you’re all doing well. Today I’m going posting my review of Uzma Jalaluddin’s novel Hana Khan Carries On.

This novel was nominated for the Canada Reads 2023 long list.

Hana Khan Carries On by: Uzma Jalaluddin: Hana splits her time between her mother’s only halal restaurant in Golden Crescent and an internship at a local radio station. Sales have been down at the restaurant and things could get really bad, especially with the threat of a new halal restaurant opening up close run by an impossibly irate man. Meanwhile, things at her radio gig aren’t going the way she hoped. They want her to talk about stereotypical race issues, when Hana feels she could do so much more. Pouring her heart out to her anonymous podcast, she catches one listener’s ear and a friendship forms. Between this newfound friendship and the sudden arrival of her aunt and cousin, she begins to find her voice to tell the stories she wants to tell, while also using this new confidence to help with her mother’s restaurant. This was a really well told story; the storytelling and the way the plots weaved into one another was so well done; they truly kept the reader on their toes. Then the actual subjects this novel brought up were just so honest, pure and real. The reader really liked that this dove into hard topics and that it shattered the illusion that main stream media seems to have on Canada living in this utopian fantasy land where there is no hate or discrimination. This showed exactly the realities that minorities face in Toronto and the reader liked that it wasn’t sugar coated but that it was true honest facts. The You’ve Got Mail plot was kinda weak because the reader could figure it out by the second chapter, but even once they figured it out, it was still a joy to watch the anonymous friendship blossom. What was also a delight to watch bloom and grow was our main character, Hana. She went through so much in this novel and watching her go from a timid young woman to a more confident one was powerful to watch. It was such a pleasure to see her come out of her shell to be the person she was meant to be with the help of some really well played and created secondary characters. Her aunt and cousin were probably the most memorable and playful side characters ever, the reader loved reading their stories and seeing them interact with Hana; they had personalities outside of just benefiting Hana’s story and that is what makes secondary characters go from good to great. They also held a purpose in the sense that their stories gave voice to others within that culture. Hana’s journey of finding her own voice while finding a voice for her family spoke volumes and should be amplified because it’s diverse stories that make the world go round. The reader didn’t really care for the romance plot, but it was subtle enough that it didn’t overthrow all the other plots happening and it was just the right amount of cute, enemies to lovers. The restaurant plot was intense to read, but definitely shed light on realities of small businesses, but it also made the reader hungry while reading. Overall, this was such a well worth read about finding yourself, your family and your purpose.