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Veiled Intentions
When a young Muslim high school student is accused of a crime she didn’t commit, her school counselor gets involved to clear her record in this ripped-from-the-headlines romantic thriller from the author of Vanished in the Night.
When Lily Simon finds cops in the lobby of the high school where she’s a guidance counselor, she’s not surprised: cops and adolescents go together like sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. But when the cops take Jamila, a Muslim student, into custody for a crime she didn’t commit, Lily’s high school becomes a powder keg.
Police think Jamila is responsible for a hit and run, and since she’s not talking, they have no choice but to keep her as the main suspect. And since the victim—a young soldier recently returned from Afghanistan—is lying unconscious in the hospital, the whole town is taking sides on whether or not Jamila’s arrest is religious persecution. Determined to find the truth, Lily teams up with a reporter to uncover what really happened the night of the hit and run. But Lily didn’t expect to find such a tangled web…
When Lily Simon finds cops in the lobby of the high school where she’s a guidance counselor, she’s not surprised: cops and adolescents go together like sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll. But when the cops take Jamila, a Muslim student, into custody for a crime she didn’t commit, Lily’s high school becomes a powder keg.
Police think Jamila is responsible for a hit and run, and since she’s not talking, they have no choice but to keep her as the main suspect. And since the victim—a young soldier recently returned from Afghanistan—is lying unconscious in the hospital, the whole town is taking sides on whether or not Jamila’s arrest is religious persecution. Determined to find the truth, Lily teams up with a reporter to uncover what really happened the night of the hit and run. But Lily didn’t expect to find such a tangled web…
226 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 29, 2014
About the author
Eileen Carr
4 books54 followersI grew up in Lincoln, Nebraska. Okay, so I wasn't born there. I was born in Dayton, Ohio, but moved when I was four, and who remembers anything from before they were four? Except I do remember I was born at the Good Samartian Hospital across the street from Baskin Robbins because they sent me a coupon for a free ice cream cone every year until I was twelve. I make a point of remembering anything that has to do with ice cream. Or chocolate. Or champagne.
After many moves (St. Louis, Boston, Madison, Chicago, Phoenix) and many jobs (art gallery assisant, editorial assistant, copywriter, communications manager, graphic designer, ceramics studio slave), I now write and live in Davis, California, with my two lovely children, two annoying cats, and one lovely man.
After many moves (St. Louis, Boston, Madison, Chicago, Phoenix) and many jobs (art gallery assisant, editorial assistant, copywriter, communications manager, graphic designer, ceramics studio slave), I now write and live in Davis, California, with my two lovely children, two annoying cats, and one lovely man.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
December 18, 2015
You have to admire an author that will take on a sensitive subject and do their best to portray a story while showing all sides, particularly of the moment as this book ultimately deals with prejudice and fear: fear of differences, fear of the unknown, and even fear of our own reactions to those issues. Eileen Carr has done all of that and more in this engaging tale suitable for teen through adult readers.
Starting with a courtroom scene where Jamila Khoury, a Muslim high school student is on trial for an auto accident in which a soldier, recently returned from Afghanistan is injured and in a coma. Emotions in town are running high, and people’s prejudices and fears are forefront in this story, even as Jamila is remaining silent.
At the high school that Jamila attended, students are on edge with discussions of the trial, Jamila’s guilt and the squaring off of us against them. Lily, a guidance counselor at the school isn’t able to square off the girl she knew with the events, and with the help of a local reporter she wants to find the truth. Add into this the ‘small town’ cloistering, the police investigation stopping with Jamila and going no further and a rampant case of over-zealous (think medieval crusade-like fervor) Christians who are also not surprisingly vehemently anti-Islamic and the story just twists further into delicate territory.
When Jamila’s parents enter the game, suing the department for harassing their daughter solely on her religious affiliation, there are no safe ‘spaces’. Everyone must be perceived to take a side, and as is common in the growing mob mentality, you are with us or against us is the overwhelming attitude, with the truth, real truth, coming a poor third or fourth.
Carr examines the various prejudices, attitudes and secrets that hide beneath the veneer of this small northern California town, and gives readers perspectives and insights: both into Lily’s search for the truth but our own hearts. Far from being a ‘this is bad because’ sort of message, we are able to see how small misunderstandings and larger secrets can keep hateful and invalid conclusions alive to spread further, spurring actions based in fear. Fear of the different, of discovery, of social ostracism, or even of being judged oneself, not to mention fear of failure, when living ‘up’ to an expectation, whether real or imagined, can cause some questionable choices in achieving that end.
While telling too much would spoil the story, there are characters, attitudes and approaches that stand out, whether for good or bad. Lily’s idealism which is stretched to the breaking point, Joe Sullivan, the reporter, and his rather ‘for the facts’ approach even as he tries to guide Lily through some distasteful truths, Daniel the quiet and shy classmate of Jamila who sees everything but chooses a different approach, even the guarded and almost offhanded police who seem to be convinced that investigation is unwarranted.
A mix of emotion, action, mystery and suspense that digs at the heart of all things “off” and bares them for readers. In some ways a ‘what would I do” in similar situations, we also see the reaction from all sides Followed with a sobering epilogue that should, if nothing else, encourage people to listen and learn from one another, Carr wraps up the story with a satisfying ending. What we never seem to realize is that these quick judgments are ‘innate’ – we are genetically programmed to seek out those who are “like” us, but understanding and not fearing those impulses are the first step in preventing more overt and heinous acts.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
Starting with a courtroom scene where Jamila Khoury, a Muslim high school student is on trial for an auto accident in which a soldier, recently returned from Afghanistan is injured and in a coma. Emotions in town are running high, and people’s prejudices and fears are forefront in this story, even as Jamila is remaining silent.
At the high school that Jamila attended, students are on edge with discussions of the trial, Jamila’s guilt and the squaring off of us against them. Lily, a guidance counselor at the school isn’t able to square off the girl she knew with the events, and with the help of a local reporter she wants to find the truth. Add into this the ‘small town’ cloistering, the police investigation stopping with Jamila and going no further and a rampant case of over-zealous (think medieval crusade-like fervor) Christians who are also not surprisingly vehemently anti-Islamic and the story just twists further into delicate territory.
When Jamila’s parents enter the game, suing the department for harassing their daughter solely on her religious affiliation, there are no safe ‘spaces’. Everyone must be perceived to take a side, and as is common in the growing mob mentality, you are with us or against us is the overwhelming attitude, with the truth, real truth, coming a poor third or fourth.
Carr examines the various prejudices, attitudes and secrets that hide beneath the veneer of this small northern California town, and gives readers perspectives and insights: both into Lily’s search for the truth but our own hearts. Far from being a ‘this is bad because’ sort of message, we are able to see how small misunderstandings and larger secrets can keep hateful and invalid conclusions alive to spread further, spurring actions based in fear. Fear of the different, of discovery, of social ostracism, or even of being judged oneself, not to mention fear of failure, when living ‘up’ to an expectation, whether real or imagined, can cause some questionable choices in achieving that end.
While telling too much would spoil the story, there are characters, attitudes and approaches that stand out, whether for good or bad. Lily’s idealism which is stretched to the breaking point, Joe Sullivan, the reporter, and his rather ‘for the facts’ approach even as he tries to guide Lily through some distasteful truths, Daniel the quiet and shy classmate of Jamila who sees everything but chooses a different approach, even the guarded and almost offhanded police who seem to be convinced that investigation is unwarranted.
A mix of emotion, action, mystery and suspense that digs at the heart of all things “off” and bares them for readers. In some ways a ‘what would I do” in similar situations, we also see the reaction from all sides Followed with a sobering epilogue that should, if nothing else, encourage people to listen and learn from one another, Carr wraps up the story with a satisfying ending. What we never seem to realize is that these quick judgments are ‘innate’ – we are genetically programmed to seek out those who are “like” us, but understanding and not fearing those impulses are the first step in preventing more overt and heinous acts.
I received an eArc copy of the title from the publisher via NetGalley for purpose of honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own responsibility.
December 28, 2014
Release Date: December 29,2014
Rating: 4.5
This review can also be found on my blog Musings of a Bibliophile
“A veil doesn’t make me a terrorist any more than it makes me a good Muslim. It’s a symbol.”
In Veiled Intentions Eileen Carr paints a poignant picture of how a small lie and lack of faith in humanity can create discord among people and wreak havoc in a peaceful town. After finishing reading it last week, I have been mulling over how best to put my thoughts forward regarding this sensitive and time-appropriate thriller. Difficult to confine it to one particular category, this genre bender is a mystery cum thriller, not a ‘whodunit’ or ‘whydunit’ kind of story, but it is about the repercussions of a hit-and run accident in the lives of the people in the small town of Darby in Northern California; this is as much a YA read as it is a women’s fiction.
Veiled Intentions addresses some issues which make it a perfect read in present times,viz.,
*Islamophobia and related hate crimes
*Cyber-bullying
*Alcoholism and drug abuse
*Pedophilia
*School terrorism
I am in awe of the author for having the courage to address such sensitive issues and for expertly putting them together to create this masterpiece. Told from multiple points of view, this has an engrossing storyline which is at once thrilling, heartbreaking and mysterious with occasional humour injected in between.
The story begins with a court scene in the Yolo County Courthouse one October morning where Lily Simons, the school counselor of Darby High is being questioned by the defense attorney on the witness stand.
“Can you begin by telling us about the events of January twenty-seventh of this year?”
The case for which Lily Simons bears witness goes unmentioned but this sets the ball rolling with Lily recounting the events in flashbacks which led to her being a federal witness.
Lily was surprised when a couple of policemen came to the school that January morning asking for one of their star pupils Jamila Khaury, and was even more perplexed when they handcuffed the teenager right on the school grounds as a suspect of a hit-and-run accident of the previous night without any further ado. This accident which though sad but not uncommon would have gone unnoticed had the victim not been a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who lapsed into a coma after being hit supposedly by Jamila Khaury,a Muslim girl’s car. Though Jamila denies of causing the accident,the police do nothing to investigate the matter further,thus making her a criminal. This leads her parents to file a lawsuit against the police department for harassing their daughter on the grounds of being a Muslim. When the incident hits the newspaper, it soon becomes less about the accident and more about the differences between the pro-Muslims and the anti-Muslims.
“The reaction to the story has become the story. We really don’t know the facts about what happened that night in the parking lot.”
The peaceful university town of Darby becomes the breeding ground for religious hate crimes where some Islamophobic miscreants vandalize the homes of the Muslim residents in town. Jamila becomes the target for bullying at school and on Facebook.Jamila,who until then was a high achieving student starts withdrawing from school activties and begins wearing her hijab to school and finds comfort in her religion which seems to be her solace. When Lily tries to stand up for Jamila, she is accused of being a Muslim supporter, ‘an Arab whore’ they label her and vandalize her property too.The Muslims too who are agitated by then do not believe in her sincerity because she’s a Jew and start their own campaigns to protect their rights. The political parties and religious fanatics take advantage of the situation for their own gains.
Meanwhile the real culprit from the accident is running free but with a huge amount of guilt on her conscience. Her narrative is really interesting to note where various conflicting emotions come into play. She is at once feeling guilty for the aftermath of her error, but at the same time would do anything to remain anonymous, even try to further incriminate Jamila.
Then there is Daniel Richardson, Jamila’s class fellow, the perpetual loner who observes everything that’s happening around him. He tries to help Jamila and his fellow Muslim students but in the process gets further ostracized by everyone.
It is hard to review this particular story without giving out spoilers, but I would like to mention the few noteworthy things like Lily’s idealism, her constant efforts to do what is fundamentally right and to unite the town’s people. Though her belief to not put the terrorists and the innocent Muslims in the same category is criticized by others for what they believe is her naiveté.
It would change something. Maybe not something in the world, but something inside herself. She couldn’t stop paying attention. She couldn’t stop noticing. If she did, what kind of human being would she become? Did that matter either?
It all felt so hopeless. All of it. Not just the big stuff. Not just the wars and the famine and the terror. Even the little things felt completely out of her control. Her home. Her career. Her students. Her school. Maybe the only thing she could do was to pay attention, to be one of the people who didn’t let it slide by her.
There's also the romance brewing between Lily and Sacramento Chronicle reporter Joe Sullivan who with their light-hearted moments provide the much needed breather in this sad engrossing tale. Though their romance is not a significant part of the plot, it is their sleuthing together which brings light to the actual events that occurred on the night of the much publicized accident.
“I think we make a good investigative duo. Maybe we should open our own firm.” – Joe
The actual case on trial in the beginning of the story comes as a great surprise which adds the element of mystery to the plot. The ending with the epilogue is a kind of dramatic culmination of all the events that take place throughout the book. The epilogue is ominous and makes one aware of the consequences of bullying and hate mongering, their everlasting impact on impressionable minds.
The maturity with which a story such as this has been told,which if not handled properly could hurt the sentiments of a lot of people is what makes me appreciative of this reading experience.With the world as it is today with gory news making the headlines daily,it is easy to 'hate' but this hate has its own repercussions which would take eons to recover from.
Hate breeds hate. Intolerance breeds intolerance. The white kids pick on the Muslim kids and the Muslim kids kick back. Then everybody has something to hate everyone else for.
An ARC was generously provided by Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 4.5
This review can also be found on my blog Musings of a Bibliophile
“A veil doesn’t make me a terrorist any more than it makes me a good Muslim. It’s a symbol.”
In Veiled Intentions Eileen Carr paints a poignant picture of how a small lie and lack of faith in humanity can create discord among people and wreak havoc in a peaceful town. After finishing reading it last week, I have been mulling over how best to put my thoughts forward regarding this sensitive and time-appropriate thriller. Difficult to confine it to one particular category, this genre bender is a mystery cum thriller, not a ‘whodunit’ or ‘whydunit’ kind of story, but it is about the repercussions of a hit-and run accident in the lives of the people in the small town of Darby in Northern California; this is as much a YA read as it is a women’s fiction.
Veiled Intentions addresses some issues which make it a perfect read in present times,viz.,
*Islamophobia and related hate crimes
*Cyber-bullying
*Alcoholism and drug abuse
*Pedophilia
*School terrorism
I am in awe of the author for having the courage to address such sensitive issues and for expertly putting them together to create this masterpiece. Told from multiple points of view, this has an engrossing storyline which is at once thrilling, heartbreaking and mysterious with occasional humour injected in between.
The story begins with a court scene in the Yolo County Courthouse one October morning where Lily Simons, the school counselor of Darby High is being questioned by the defense attorney on the witness stand.
“Can you begin by telling us about the events of January twenty-seventh of this year?”
The case for which Lily Simons bears witness goes unmentioned but this sets the ball rolling with Lily recounting the events in flashbacks which led to her being a federal witness.
Lily was surprised when a couple of policemen came to the school that January morning asking for one of their star pupils Jamila Khaury, and was even more perplexed when they handcuffed the teenager right on the school grounds as a suspect of a hit-and-run accident of the previous night without any further ado. This accident which though sad but not uncommon would have gone unnoticed had the victim not been a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who lapsed into a coma after being hit supposedly by Jamila Khaury,a Muslim girl’s car. Though Jamila denies of causing the accident,the police do nothing to investigate the matter further,thus making her a criminal. This leads her parents to file a lawsuit against the police department for harassing their daughter on the grounds of being a Muslim. When the incident hits the newspaper, it soon becomes less about the accident and more about the differences between the pro-Muslims and the anti-Muslims.
“The reaction to the story has become the story. We really don’t know the facts about what happened that night in the parking lot.”
The peaceful university town of Darby becomes the breeding ground for religious hate crimes where some Islamophobic miscreants vandalize the homes of the Muslim residents in town. Jamila becomes the target for bullying at school and on Facebook.Jamila,who until then was a high achieving student starts withdrawing from school activties and begins wearing her hijab to school and finds comfort in her religion which seems to be her solace. When Lily tries to stand up for Jamila, she is accused of being a Muslim supporter, ‘an Arab whore’ they label her and vandalize her property too.The Muslims too who are agitated by then do not believe in her sincerity because she’s a Jew and start their own campaigns to protect their rights. The political parties and religious fanatics take advantage of the situation for their own gains.
Meanwhile the real culprit from the accident is running free but with a huge amount of guilt on her conscience. Her narrative is really interesting to note where various conflicting emotions come into play. She is at once feeling guilty for the aftermath of her error, but at the same time would do anything to remain anonymous, even try to further incriminate Jamila.
Then there is Daniel Richardson, Jamila’s class fellow, the perpetual loner who observes everything that’s happening around him. He tries to help Jamila and his fellow Muslim students but in the process gets further ostracized by everyone.
It is hard to review this particular story without giving out spoilers, but I would like to mention the few noteworthy things like Lily’s idealism, her constant efforts to do what is fundamentally right and to unite the town’s people. Though her belief to not put the terrorists and the innocent Muslims in the same category is criticized by others for what they believe is her naiveté.
It would change something. Maybe not something in the world, but something inside herself. She couldn’t stop paying attention. She couldn’t stop noticing. If she did, what kind of human being would she become? Did that matter either?
It all felt so hopeless. All of it. Not just the big stuff. Not just the wars and the famine and the terror. Even the little things felt completely out of her control. Her home. Her career. Her students. Her school. Maybe the only thing she could do was to pay attention, to be one of the people who didn’t let it slide by her.
There's also the romance brewing between Lily and Sacramento Chronicle reporter Joe Sullivan who with their light-hearted moments provide the much needed breather in this sad engrossing tale. Though their romance is not a significant part of the plot, it is their sleuthing together which brings light to the actual events that occurred on the night of the much publicized accident.
“I think we make a good investigative duo. Maybe we should open our own firm.” – Joe
The actual case on trial in the beginning of the story comes as a great surprise which adds the element of mystery to the plot. The ending with the epilogue is a kind of dramatic culmination of all the events that take place throughout the book. The epilogue is ominous and makes one aware of the consequences of bullying and hate mongering, their everlasting impact on impressionable minds.
The maturity with which a story such as this has been told,which if not handled properly could hurt the sentiments of a lot of people is what makes me appreciative of this reading experience.With the world as it is today with gory news making the headlines daily,it is easy to 'hate' but this hate has its own repercussions which would take eons to recover from.
Hate breeds hate. Intolerance breeds intolerance. The white kids pick on the Muslim kids and the Muslim kids kick back. Then everybody has something to hate everyone else for.
An ARC was generously provided by Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 31, 2016
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction...The chain reaction of evil-hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars-must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation."
This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote sums up the message of Eileen Carr's novel, Veiled Intentions.
A high-achieving Muslim high school student gets accused of a hit-and-run accident involving a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Jamila is stunned, and heartbroken, to see how quick all the people she has grown up with and known her whole life are to suddenly label her as "Other", even though she denies any involvement in the accident. She, along with other Muslim families in the community, become targets for bullying and hate crimes. They are alienated in their own hometown. Jamila is no longer a seventeen year old high school student active in community projects who also practices Islam; now the view of her is limited to simply to her religion. In her distress, she turns more toward the only aspect of herself that society will allow her to be defined by.
Veiled Intentions looks not only at Jamila and how she feels about and reacts to everything that ensues, but also all of the other various members of the community. We see all the different viewpoints involved in such a situation-the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is not a "feel good" book. However, it takes a necessary look at issues that are prevalent in the world today. It does an admirable job of surveying all of the different thoughts and opinions found in society today about issues of religious or cultural differences and how they should be 'dealt with'.
In addition to representing all of the views that crop up about such matters in a smart fashion, this book drives home the lesson Dr. King was attempting to teach decades ago: Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. This is a call for the world to find a way to stop the cycle of discrimination and violence.
This Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. quote sums up the message of Eileen Carr's novel, Veiled Intentions.
A high-achieving Muslim high school student gets accused of a hit-and-run accident involving a veteran of the war in Afghanistan. Jamila is stunned, and heartbroken, to see how quick all the people she has grown up with and known her whole life are to suddenly label her as "Other", even though she denies any involvement in the accident. She, along with other Muslim families in the community, become targets for bullying and hate crimes. They are alienated in their own hometown. Jamila is no longer a seventeen year old high school student active in community projects who also practices Islam; now the view of her is limited to simply to her religion. In her distress, she turns more toward the only aspect of herself that society will allow her to be defined by.
Veiled Intentions looks not only at Jamila and how she feels about and reacts to everything that ensues, but also all of the other various members of the community. We see all the different viewpoints involved in such a situation-the good, the bad, and the ugly. This is not a "feel good" book. However, it takes a necessary look at issues that are prevalent in the world today. It does an admirable job of surveying all of the different thoughts and opinions found in society today about issues of religious or cultural differences and how they should be 'dealt with'.
In addition to representing all of the views that crop up about such matters in a smart fashion, this book drives home the lesson Dr. King was attempting to teach decades ago: Hate cannot drive out hate. Only love can do that. This is a call for the world to find a way to stop the cycle of discrimination and violence.
December 29, 2015
It 's a story really amazing, once you start you can not put it down. With great intelligence and sensitivity the author touches really delicate issues as racial hatred, bullying, teenagers with problems of alcohol and drug abuse, pedophilia.
Lily Simon is a school counselor in the quiet town of Darby. One day in school arrive two policemen: is not unusual for a high school, the boys sometimes combine some trouble with alcohol and drugs. But it is strange that they are looking Jamila Khaury, one of the best students. The girl is accused of having had a hit-and-run accident. Compounding the situation is the fact that the girl is Muslim and the victim of the accident is a soldier recently laid off and who fought with honor in Afghanistan. Jamila pleads innocence but was handcuffed and taken away. After a few hours the photo of her through the school yard and handcuffed alongside two police is already on Facebook.
The small town is transformed from a quiet and peaceful community in a full of hatred and violence. The Muslim families become victims of abuse and looting, Jamila is a victim of cyberbullying. The girl takes refuge in the only consolation that remains: her religion. Lily wants to help her trying with the support of a journalist the truth about the accident but she is threatened and becomes a victim of racial hatred.
The author is very good at telling the story alternating points of view of different characters, especially that of the real culprit with his growing sense of guilt.
It's a novel really rich and can not be easily classified: it is a different kind of thriller, is also a young adult, there is a love story.
It 's a romance deep whose basic message is that violence and hatred only generate more violence and hatred.
Must-read from cover to cover.
Lily Simon is a school counselor in the quiet town of Darby. One day in school arrive two policemen: is not unusual for a high school, the boys sometimes combine some trouble with alcohol and drugs. But it is strange that they are looking Jamila Khaury, one of the best students. The girl is accused of having had a hit-and-run accident. Compounding the situation is the fact that the girl is Muslim and the victim of the accident is a soldier recently laid off and who fought with honor in Afghanistan. Jamila pleads innocence but was handcuffed and taken away. After a few hours the photo of her through the school yard and handcuffed alongside two police is already on Facebook.
The small town is transformed from a quiet and peaceful community in a full of hatred and violence. The Muslim families become victims of abuse and looting, Jamila is a victim of cyberbullying. The girl takes refuge in the only consolation that remains: her religion. Lily wants to help her trying with the support of a journalist the truth about the accident but she is threatened and becomes a victim of racial hatred.
The author is very good at telling the story alternating points of view of different characters, especially that of the real culprit with his growing sense of guilt.
It's a novel really rich and can not be easily classified: it is a different kind of thriller, is also a young adult, there is a love story.
It 's a romance deep whose basic message is that violence and hatred only generate more violence and hatred.
Must-read from cover to cover.
January 12, 2015
I was provided with a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Beginning with a compellingly impactful court scene, the storyline takes us through a set of events beginning on a fateful night when a young war veteran in Afghanistan is hit and run over, putting him into a coma. The police rest their suspicions on a high-school student, Jamila. Although Jamila denies the charges, no further efforts are taken up to find out what happened that night. Jamila's parents sue the police force for harassing their daughter owing to her religion. What starts as a legal enforcement issue turns into a politico-religious devastation, with religious hate crimes and bullying feed on themselves and spread out. Lily, the one person determined to get to the bottom of the whole issue, is not ready to let matters rest until the truth is found out. But she needs to face the wrath of religious haters as well. Does Lily manage to save her sanity and also Jamila's dignity, is what the book takes us through.
The author utilises the premise and plot of a thriller, to instill the right and wrongs of the society effectively. Lessons on morality and how the society should keep bigotry and religious hatred away, is a lesson that comes out strongly. The real culprit behind the crime comes as a surprise. Daniel Richardson's character, the silent and observant class fellow of Jamila's is a surprisingly strong character. The pace of the book was brisk and engaging.
This was an intense and brilliant work and highly recommended for everyone.
My rating for this book: 5 stars
Beginning with a compellingly impactful court scene, the storyline takes us through a set of events beginning on a fateful night when a young war veteran in Afghanistan is hit and run over, putting him into a coma. The police rest their suspicions on a high-school student, Jamila. Although Jamila denies the charges, no further efforts are taken up to find out what happened that night. Jamila's parents sue the police force for harassing their daughter owing to her religion. What starts as a legal enforcement issue turns into a politico-religious devastation, with religious hate crimes and bullying feed on themselves and spread out. Lily, the one person determined to get to the bottom of the whole issue, is not ready to let matters rest until the truth is found out. But she needs to face the wrath of religious haters as well. Does Lily manage to save her sanity and also Jamila's dignity, is what the book takes us through.
The author utilises the premise and plot of a thriller, to instill the right and wrongs of the society effectively. Lessons on morality and how the society should keep bigotry and religious hatred away, is a lesson that comes out strongly. The real culprit behind the crime comes as a surprise. Daniel Richardson's character, the silent and observant class fellow of Jamila's is a surprisingly strong character. The pace of the book was brisk and engaging.
This was an intense and brilliant work and highly recommended for everyone.
My rating for this book: 5 stars
February 2, 2015
I received a free kindle copy of Veiled Intentions by Eileen Carr published by Pocket Star from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
This intense story covered many moral issues about man's inhumanity to man. It touched on deeply seated prejudices based on the unknown. It also investigated how quickly the public forum can turn for or against an issue. The young Muslim girl, Jamila is falsely charged with a hit & run accident where she supposedly left behind a wounded man who just happened to be a soldier returned from Afghanistan. Even the school counselor Lily becomes a victim of a disgusting hate crime. The high school, even the town is up in arms about this case & justice is being forgotten.
There are a lot of twists & turns in the well written story. It almost reads like a based on truth news event. It's very well done & for that I gave it five stars. I look forward to reading more of Eileen Carr's writing.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Veiled-Intentio...
This intense story covered many moral issues about man's inhumanity to man. It touched on deeply seated prejudices based on the unknown. It also investigated how quickly the public forum can turn for or against an issue. The young Muslim girl, Jamila is falsely charged with a hit & run accident where she supposedly left behind a wounded man who just happened to be a soldier returned from Afghanistan. Even the school counselor Lily becomes a victim of a disgusting hate crime. The high school, even the town is up in arms about this case & justice is being forgotten.
There are a lot of twists & turns in the well written story. It almost reads like a based on truth news event. It's very well done & for that I gave it five stars. I look forward to reading more of Eileen Carr's writing.
Link to purchase: http://www.amazon.com/Veiled-Intentio...
March 6, 2015
I received this NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars. This book was an emotional roller coaster. While the author was not great at character building, she really excelled at telling a multi-point of view story and layering on events. It was sad, maddening, and thought provoking, which speaks to the storytelling skills of this author. Everything about this story was lifelike. Darby could be any town in the U.S. I like how she wasn't shy about the events and prejudices of the characters. It reminded me so much of what life was like following 9/11 and the Boston Marathon. I took off a star because I wasn't overly drawn to Lily or Joe. I felt that their "romance" was unnecessary and forced. I also felt that the ending with Hakim was counterintuitive to the overall message of the book. Maybe that was the point. To show the reader how hatred begets hatred, but in a small way it felt like justifying some of the anti-Muslim beliefs of the townspeople all the same.
Great read and a really good read for teenagers!
3.5 stars. This book was an emotional roller coaster. While the author was not great at character building, she really excelled at telling a multi-point of view story and layering on events. It was sad, maddening, and thought provoking, which speaks to the storytelling skills of this author. Everything about this story was lifelike. Darby could be any town in the U.S. I like how she wasn't shy about the events and prejudices of the characters. It reminded me so much of what life was like following 9/11 and the Boston Marathon. I took off a star because I wasn't overly drawn to Lily or Joe. I felt that their "romance" was unnecessary and forced. I also felt that the ending with Hakim was counterintuitive to the overall message of the book. Maybe that was the point. To show the reader how hatred begets hatred, but in a small way it felt like justifying some of the anti-Muslim beliefs of the townspeople all the same.
Great read and a really good read for teenagers!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Did Not Finish
July 18, 2016I requested a copy from Netgalley because the subject matter (a Muslim girl arrested for a hit-and-run of a white army vet, and the prejudice/racism that results) interested me. I have to admit, though, that I DNF this after reading it halfway through. The story is told mostly from the point of view of Lily, a teacher at the school where the Muslim girl was arrested, but with the POVs of several teens thrown into the mix—I had a hard time figuring out just who this story was aimed at, adults or teens? The writing was also pretty clunky, and the characters rather flat. I didn't find any romance in the first half; perhaps it comes in more in the second? In any case, the story read more like a moral lesson than a deeply imagined story with complex characters.
January 8, 2015
A first-rate, fast-paced, astute exploration of a controversial subject. The novel struck the right tone from beginning to end; empathetic, honest, galvanizing, heartfelt, and ultimately inspiring. I think most people will not be able to walk away from this book without some of their own soul-searching. Veiled Intentions, thankfully, is in capable hands. Brilliant.
January 20, 2015
Eileen hits it out of the park with Veiled Intentions. This book is not what I anticipated at all. I expected a linear story told from one POV, and I love that what I got turns every expectation on its eat. This story unfolds in a most unexpected way, leaving me guessing until the end as to whose trial Lily was giving testimony at, and what had really happened. One of my must reads of the year.
September 3, 2015
When I read a book and can see vivid images in my mind and when I'm thinking about a book days after I've completed it, then I know I read a great book. Veiled Intentions is one of those great books. The author has taken a complex and combustible social issue and and woven it into a mystery that kept my attention and made me think. Carr really hit it right on with this one!
December 31, 2014
All's pretty much good...until you get to the epilogue that does everything it can to fan out the flames of racial and religious hate & intolerance! A total thumbs down because of those 2-3 last pages
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 31, 2014
You WILL NOT be able to put this book down once you have started! The way things go in this book will keep you turning page after page waiting to find out just what happens! This will most diffidently be a book to read starting off 2015 if you haven't yet!
*Received for an honest review*
*Received for an honest review*
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