Good Intentions
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
‘Captivating and heartbreaking’ Stylist
‘Brought me close to tears’ Beth O’Leary, author of The Flatshare
‘A romantic, bittersweet debut … an incredibly powerful read’ Daily Mirror
‘Expect to be heartbroken’ Elle
An unforgettable debut novel about first love, family obligation and finding your way.
In the wake of first heartbreak, Nur somehow meets his perfect woman. Yasmina is bright, beautiful and, what’s most remarkable, she’s into him too. Before long, they are inseparable.
But no relationship is perfect. For Yasmina, the complexities of family and cultural expectation are something she wants to navigate with Nur by her side. For Nur, the pressures of being the ‘good son’ are suffocating, and soon threaten everything he wants for his future with Yasmina. Can he find a way to offer her everything she deserves?
‘Addictive in every sense’ Irenosen Okojie, author of Nudibranch
‘A clever novel … that subtly subverts the reader’s expectations’ Sunday Times
Reviews
‘Family obligation and racial prejudice sit alongside the flush of first love. Expect to be heartbroken’ Elle
‘[A] clever novel about vulnerability and victimhood that subtly subverts the reader’s expectations’ Sunday Times
‘Ever fallen in love with messy, confusing consequences for everyone involved? Then Good Intentions is for you’ Stylist
‘Kasim Ali boldly grasps the nettle of South Asian prejudice … what a tonic’ The Times
‘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, author of The Flatshare
‘A beautiful and honest story… from a fantastic new talent’ Sareeta Domingo, author of If I Don't Have You
‘[A] compelling debut reminiscent of The Big Sick in storyline and Ordinary People in feel’ Living Magazine
‘Moving, modern and utterly engaging. What a talent’ Rhik Samadder, author of I Never Said I Love You
‘A love story full of hard choices and tensions, family obligations and racial prejudices. Not to be missed by fans of Modern Love’ Vogue India
‘A gorgeous, unbelievable debut’ Angie Kim, author of Miracle Creek
‘[A] clever debut… Ali explores racism, the difficulty of navigating cultural heritage and the travails of early adulthood [with] a climactic sucker punch’ Metro
About the author
Kasim Ali works at Penguin Random House and has previously been shortlisted for Hachette’s Mo Siewcherran Prize, longlisted for the 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize, and has contributed to The Good Journal. He comes from Birmingham and now lives in London.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Jumping back and forth in time, making your heart swell and breaking it by turns, Kasim Ali’s confident first novel tells the story of one relationship through some of its most pivotal moments. As Nur, a young British Pakistani man, puts off telling his family that he has fallen in love and the woman he loves is Black, his girlfriend Yasmina is forced to wait and wonder why, year after year. The book follows Nur through an extended coming of age, often painful for himself and the people around him, in which his relationships with friends, family and—centrally—Yasmina are reshaped and reshape him. There’s plenty of tenderness here, both in their romance and in the portraits of Nur’s friendships with other young men, though the novel also shows how brutal it can be to love. Exploring racial prejudice, religion, tradition and issues around mental health, this is a debut with something to say.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A young British Pakistani man must choose between family and true love in Ali's alluring debut. From the moment Nur meets Yasmina at a party in 2014 while at university, he believes she could be the one for him—their conversation flows effortlessly, and she makes him feel "whole." But he's nervous his conservative family won't approve of her, because she's Black ("It's bad enough marrying an Indian or a Bangladeshi Muslim. Maybe, just maybe, they'd be okay with someone white"). He keeps the relationship a secret for four years, even after they move in together, which creates tension between him and Yasmina, whose parents adore Nur. Ali shapes their relationship with vulnerable conversations about race and privilege, as Nur and Yasmina worry they might never be good enough for each other. In the end, they realize they ought to get in tune with themselves rather than force romantic bliss. It's fairly familiar terrain, but well-drawn supporting characters such as Nur's gay Muslim friend Imran round out this thoughtful portrait of young people weighing the bonds of tradition with personal identity. Readers will root for this imperfect love until the end.
