This Is How You Get Better by Amal Awad

by Amal Awad

“Guilt is an emotion for which I have no time. It's exhausting, stops you from having any fun, and is the equivalent of one of those T-shirts that says ‘I went to [insert adventure] and all I got was this lousy T-shirt’.”In recovery mode after a messy divorce from a non-Muslim man, Lara Abdel-Aziz is estranged from her family and out of touch with her best friend Samira. She works in a fast food shop in Sydney, but also sings at a local bar. The owner, Leo, is good company, but her only other interactions are with mostly-absent flatmate Icky, and new age store owner Angela, who wants Lara to work for her and get in touch with her higher self.Lara is comfortably on autopilot until a near-assault at work forces her into counselling and she must start to unpack the events of her life. Meanwhile, an encounter with someone from her past leads to an unlikely connection.

Paperback

First published February 10, 2015

Reviews

[K.J. Charles]

Follow up to Courting Samira but much less of a romance. It's several years on; Lara the wild child friend from book 1 has got married, got divorced, and is doing a series of dead-end jobs. She's drifting, but an attack from her unstable ex tips her over the edge into a not-good mental place, and most of the book is about her taking a hard look at her life and a too-hard look at herself. (She has more self loathing than seems warranted by her actions--which is of course how depression feels.)

She also has two interested men, not counting the ex. The romance element is a constant thread but not the main story, which is very much Lara's struggle to face the fact she has problems and needs to make changes. It nevertheless plays out intriguingly and resolves nicely.

Slightly odd structure--two big time jumps where we miss out on a lot of recovery time--but that's more realistic than showing someone just get better from a deep bout of self loathing over a weekend. An interesting read, heavier than the first but they make a good pair with mdern Muslim heroines.

[Amanda Scott]

I enjoyed this novel. It's setting is Sydney, 2015 and centres on Lara a 30 something Muslim woman. Lara is dealing with lots of issues...divorce from a man who continues to stalk her. She has many unresolved problems. I liked her and I liked seeing life from a new perspective. A good read.

[Nour · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. The familiarity with the character struck me the most.