Sofia Khan is Not Obliged: A heartwarming romantic comedy

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Perhaps not quite as pithy as Bridget Jones – a tighter editing could no doubt have cut a quarter of the text without any loss in terms of plot – but with its light, comic confessional tone, the diary entry format, and even some echoes between the plots, the comparison is inevitable – albeit without Bridget’s alcohol consumption or romances.

For research, Sofia goes to some singles matching events but stops after seeing Imran at one of them. When he calls her out of the blue (or rather with the prompting of her friend, as she later learns) she agrees to meet with him. I was also pleased to rejoin Sofia's mother. She is a great creation. She is so easy to visualise and it is so easy to hear her voice. Any scenes with her guarantee a raised eyebrow or smile from the reader - although again, not a character to underestimate either. Malik evokes the mother / daughter relationship effortlessly and is able to convey the religious and cultural setting with a deft hand. Although many of the references and conversations will not be unfamiliar to any daughter! Even now, their sense of safety remains tenuous; Khan said she couldn't connect me to talk with Afghan refugees for this story because they must continue guarding their anonymity. Sofia is a publicist at a large London publishing house (as was Malik, incidentally) and it turns out that her “HITW” situation, combined with the mere mention of Hannah the “co-wife”, is enough to have her bosses salivating at the idea of a real tell-all book about Muslim dating and marriage (as, apparently, were Malik’s own bosses at one point, although Malik never wrote the book).In the end, it doesn't come down to the fact that Sofia doesn't forgive Conall for lying and for leaving her to be with his son, Eamonn. It comes down to happiness. If Eamonn and his mother lived in London, there's not a doubt in my mind that she and Conall could have worked through things. But he didn't, he lived in Ireland, and Conall needed to right the wrongs of his past and be there for his son. And Sofia's choice came down to going with Conall to Ireland, or staying in London to be a part of something important, something that she loved and was passionate about. There was sacrifice to either choice. And sometimes, love just isn't enough. Because she does love Conall. And yes there's compromise, but when do you stop compromising and put your happiness first? I think she's learnt from her mother, how her marriage wasn't really a happy one, and now she's finally found a chance at real happiness. Sure, Sofia isn't choosing between two men, she's choosing between the man she's in love with, and a chance to actually make a real difference with co-founding a new publishing house, but when there's a chance at a fulfilled and happy life, even though it will be hard to be without Conall, and a life in Ireland where she will be unhappy... why should she sacrifice what will make her happiest in the long run? And there's no question that Conall should - must - go to Ireland and be with his son, Sofia isn't asking him to stay. Men should adjust their clothing choices based on hers. Sofia is mortified when a man (who is very kindly allowing her to use his home as an office) doesn't dress according to her morals: ' as if it was perfectly natural to be shirtless, tattoo-armed in your boxers in front of, hello, a hijabi.'

Malik does well to capture the angst of looking for love, while circumnavigating the respective but often disconnected worlds of home/ family / work. In a climate where the portrayal of Muslims is never far away from ‘threat’ or ‘terrorist’, Sofia Khan is Not Obliged is a refreshing read. Through Sofia we see a thoroughly modern Islam which is comfortably British – having carefully navigated into the 21 st century – our protagonist is able to discuss love, marriage and online dating with her parents and sibling. We’ve moved away from the typical 2 nd generation immigrant narrative of struggling to find one’s identity and ‘overbearing’ parents – a common theme in those coming-of-age British Asian novels, and the only mention of a ‘terrorist’ comes in the form of an insult thrown at Sofia on the Tube. In book one, there was a few mentions of Muslim radicals and ‘fundos’ but they were often brought up in a humorous way and in a way that made it clear that this is something an average, normal Muslim family worry about and discuss. I liked the honesty about this but i liked that Ayisha Malik was also able to include it in a comedic way. However, in this book there was so much emphasis on the possibility of Conall becoming a “fundo”and while part of this was used to show how people can misunderstand what it is to be openly religious and talk about your faith and still be a normal person, I just felt like it was brought up way too much and it just became irritating. As was the times Sofia was told that Conall only converted for her - because she never asked him to do that, and she shouldn’t have to deal with guilt of ‘changing’ someone when all he did was find a faith he could connect with and something that could help heal him. Sofia Khan is going about everything the wrong way. At least, that’s what her mother, Mehnaz, thinks. Sofia is twice-divorced, homeless and – worst of all– refusing to give up on a fostered baby girl. Sofia’s just not behaving like a normal woman should. And she takes it in her stride when her “makeshift prayer room” at work is suddenly turned into a medical room, complete with huge glass pane in the new door so she’s on show for anyone and everyone to see, “arse in the air”.Ayisha is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner, and lover of books. She read English Literature and went on to complete an MA in Creative Writing (though told most of her family it was an MA in English Literature – Creative Writing is not a subject, after all.) She has spent various spells teaching, photocopying, volunteering and being a publicist. Now, when she isn’t searching for a jar of Nutella in her cupboards, she divides her time between writing and being managing editor at Cornerstones Literary Consultancy. It's about time more books came out that feature Muslim protagonists and showcase diversity and representation in all kinds of forms. Sofia finished her book. Her bosses liked it except they wanted her to make it more exciting and sellable by adding sex. Sofia made the edits but then she realized that she did not want to write a stereotypical book about Muslim dating and convinced her boss to let her write a new book. She also gave in her notice at work even though she wasn’t sure what she’d do next. Conall Shows Up

Anyways, the main character Sofia Khan is extremely witty, funny and relatable. I love her lines and her strong personality. I love the representation of a brown character in her 40s. Her relationship and dynamic with her mum is extremely relatable (especially when they argue) and moving. It pretty soon becomes apparent that Hannah is living like a Victorian kept women: Zulfi buys her a house and he visits her when he's not spending time with his real family. She becomes consumed with jealousy.

You will spend the rest of your life living with your heart outside of your body” p64 As a parent constantly worries for their child. KCUR 89.3 Sofia Khan looks over the many life necessities collected and distributed by KC for Refugees. Malik's first novel was compared to Bridget Jones and I'm sure this second novel will be too. There is same feel, tone of voice and similarity in dynamics between parents, friends and partners that we see in Bridget Jones. There are similarities in the style of the novel and the structure of the chapters. Perhaps there is a similarity in the protagonists' journeys. Whatever it is, I don't think this comparison is a bad thing for Malik at all - I think it shows that she has written a book that is going to be universally relevant and universally loved. Sakib was such an annoyingly irrelevant character that came out of nowhere and WOW how AMAZINGLY CONVENIENT THAT THEY MANAGED TO SET UP THEIR OWN PUBLISHING COMPANY FOR BAME WRITERS OMG WOW BECAUSE IT IS THAT SIMPLE AND EASY smh After graduation, Dr Khan completed her general medical training in a wide range of specialities before being awarded a Specialist Registrar Training Number. Her training rotated through The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in Queen Square, London, which is the UK's largest dedicated neurological and neurosurgical hospital. She was appointed there as a Consultant.