Broken: Not a Halal Love Story

So, I finally get to talk about this book. You know me guys, I’m not one to immediately jump into a book cause Booktok recommended it. But I constantly kept seeing edits and excerpts from the book, and so I downloaded it. But I still wasn’t motivated to read it. Not until this my woman, @nhaji, decided to put a noose around my neck. Nhaji legit read the book before me and proceeded to send series of videos to me on TikTok relating to the book. Knowing that the young lady was dying for us to discuss the book together, I decided to put out of her misery and that’s how I ended up reading....

Broken: Not A Halal Love Story by Fatima Bala

Published on the 16th of July, 2023, Broken tells the story of Fa’iza who is from a wealthy but conservative Muslim family. She has strong morals and adheres strictly to the laws of Islam. Fa’iza gets admission to study Law in Canada and that’s where she meets Ahmad who she bumps into at a bookstore in Paris.

Although her first impression of him is rude and obnoxious, she soon finds out that he’s the son of her Mom’s best friend. She tries to fight it, but the strings of love pull quick, even though Ahmad is not the conventional Muslim and has different ideologies when it comes to religion and life in general.

As their feelings grow, so does the temptation. They try to observe the boundaries and keep their relationship halal (holy). But despite their boundaries, the irresistible temptation of love draws close. Not until, disaster strikes. And they soon find out that their past can be invincible enough to destroy their present and future together. How far are they willing to go for their love?

My Review and Rating

Let me begin by saying that this book was an eye opener for a lot of reasons. I didn’t think I’d learn so much about Islam and Muslim families in a single book. The only thing I knew about the Islam faith before this, was their Holy book which is the Qur’an. And the fact that haram means sin. Aside that, I was pretty much clueless. And so, I read this and I got exposed to a lot of stuff like their prayers which they observe religiously and the fact that some Muslim families are more conservative than others and it could shape the entire family and the way they operate.

So, this book was lovely in that regard. Of course, I couldn’t keep up with all the customs and the different marriage rites that must be observed. Maybe @nhaji will explain more of all of these to me when she decides to stop being lazy. But yeah, at least I’ve learnt that Fajr is the first prayer of the day and Isha is the last prayer of the day. I know, I’m too wonderful, lol.

Okay, now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, can I just say(and I know you guys are going to beat me up for this), that I don’t like Fa’iza completely. I don’t know if it is because of how conservative she was which bordered on annoying. I know it’s because of how strong she values her faith, and maybe I’m not familiar with conservative Islam followers, but she was just annoying to me for a long time in the book.

And apart from her Law career which I found the most relatable and her humanitarian spirit, I did not resonate and bond with her like I do my female leads. She didn’t have that gripping personality that immediately makes me want to be in her shoes and root for her. She was lovely, but yeah, my vibe with her was just bland as a character.

Ahmad, on the other hand. Eiii, let me not talk. That guy is a walking green flag. Like, if green flag was a human being, it’s definitely him. Talk about intentional men. Ahmad’s character and personality, I could vibe with. I loved that he was this logical guy that wanted to forge his own path. I loved how intentional he was about everything he was passionate about. And most of all, I loved how gentle he was with Fa’iza. I loved that he genuinely put her as a priority and wanted to make sure she was the happiest person possible.

I love that he didn’t try to control her and just supported her however way he could. And then he just had to move heaven and earth when the entire world and the Islam faith was against their love. He is the perfect embodiment of, “If he wanted to, he would.” Words of affirmation, acts of service and even gifts had nothing on this man. He made sure to go above and beyond in every way.

See how I’m talking plenty over someone’s man, hehe. But yeah, that’s the “Ahmad Babangida effect.” You can’t help but talk too much when it comes to him.

What else, I liked the plot in general. The introduction, conflict, climax and finally resolution all flowed beautifully for me. I know that if I was more familiar with the Islam faith, this book would have been more relatable to me. But it was still worth reading all together. Plus, I have many things now to badger Nhaji on. Giving this book a 4.2/5 stars. Definitely recommend.

Jhymi🖤

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