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All Inclusive
Now Magazine Best Author - Won, 2015 Kobo Best Book of the Year 2015 Selection - Canadian Favourites Category
A story about one all-inclusive resort, the ghost of an unknown father, and the tragedies we can’t forget.
What’s it like when everyone’s dream vacation is your job? Ameera works at a Mexican all-inclusive resort, where every day is paradise — if “paradise” means endless paperwork, quotas to meet, and entitled tourists. But it’s not all Ameera’s pastime of choice is the swingers’ scene, and the resort is the perfect place to hook up with like-minded couples without all the hassle of having to see them again.
Despite Ameera’s best efforts to keep her sideline a secret, someone is spreading scandalous rumours about her around the resort, and her job might be at stake. Meanwhile, she’s being plagued by her other secret, the big unknown of her the identity of her father and why he disappeared. Unbeknownst to Ameera, her father, Azeez, is looking for her, and they both must come to terms with the reason why he abandoned her.
A moving new work from award-winning author Farzana Doctor, All Inclusive blurs the lines between the real world and paradise, and life and death, and reminds us that love is neither easily lost nor found.
A story about one all-inclusive resort, the ghost of an unknown father, and the tragedies we can’t forget.
What’s it like when everyone’s dream vacation is your job? Ameera works at a Mexican all-inclusive resort, where every day is paradise — if “paradise” means endless paperwork, quotas to meet, and entitled tourists. But it’s not all Ameera’s pastime of choice is the swingers’ scene, and the resort is the perfect place to hook up with like-minded couples without all the hassle of having to see them again.
Despite Ameera’s best efforts to keep her sideline a secret, someone is spreading scandalous rumours about her around the resort, and her job might be at stake. Meanwhile, she’s being plagued by her other secret, the big unknown of her the identity of her father and why he disappeared. Unbeknownst to Ameera, her father, Azeez, is looking for her, and they both must come to terms with the reason why he abandoned her.
A moving new work from award-winning author Farzana Doctor, All Inclusive blurs the lines between the real world and paradise, and life and death, and reminds us that love is neither easily lost nor found.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2015
5 people are currently reading
622 people want to read
About the author
Farzana Doctor
14 books338 followers I'm the author of Stealing Nasreen (Inanna 2007) and Six Metres of Pavement (Dundurn, 2011), All Inclusive (Dundurn, 2015) and Seven (2020).
My poetry collection, You Still Look The Same, will be released in 2022.
My poetry collection, You Still Look The Same, will be released in 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 71 reviews
November 28, 2016
An interesting fusion of contemporary and ghost fiction, set in a Pacific all-inclusive resort where anything goes, under covers, that is.
Ameera, a 29 year-old of mixed Canadian-Indian heritage, works at an all-inclusive resort in Huatulco, Mexico, and is on a team of tour-operator’s assistants made up of expatriates and locals. They up-sell local tours to visitors, mainly to gain brownie points with their bosses and not necessarily always for the benefit of their customers. All are vying for the new role of supervisor, as their Ottawa-based company looks to localize its management structure. The only problem is that Ameera has a fatal flaw, one frowned upon in the corporate world: she is a bisexual swinger with a rabid appetite for Thursday night orgies with her customers, without any attachments, for her sexual partners have to leave on their Friday departure flights.
Her origins are interesting; she has never met her Indian father who sired her after a one-night stand on the eve of the Air India bombing. I figured the tragic air disaster had to play somewhere in the narrative as it has become a staple in recent Indo-Canadian literature, just like the Holocaust is to the Jews. This traumatic genesis has left Ameera as a rather shallow young woman preoccupied with sensory and material pursuits. The ghost story comes into play when we switch to her father Azeez’s viewpoint; the latter is now a spirit, albeit a benign one, trying to make up for his abrupt departure from this world. Above all, Azeez is determined to guide his errant daughter, from the “other side.”
Therefore, there are two main story lines in the novel, narrated alternatively by Ameera and Aziz: Ameera is aspiring for promotion and fighting anonymous rumours about her sexual peccadilloes that are leaking all the way back to HQ in Ottawa, while Azeez is trying to make his unearthly presence felt (by “breathing” into humans, until they ‘feel” something) to his relatives both in India and Canada and steer them along the moral high ground, one that he himself strayed from just the day before his “accident.” While Ameera’s story is full of earthly foibles and preoccupations, Azeez’s story is a tender one of a loss never to be regained. He only has difficulty “breathing” into Ameera, for she is usually drunk after her shift, and “Alcohol is the ghost’s Kryptonite,” according to our gentle ghost.
The author captures the atmosphere and activities of a tour-resort extremely well. But herein lies the challenge with this setting in a fiction novel, for it is indeed a barren place populated with petty jealousies, unbridled sensual appetites, sun, sand, and bored and overfed people going through a routine that gets repeated weekly with different sets of players on every new plane that arrives. The action at the resort becomes repetitious and inconsequential. The point brought out strongly and realistically is the difference in meritocracy that exists between local and expatriate staff - the latter being always favoured. I wondered whether the repeated mention of the charter aircraft operating into Huatulco being DC8s, in the year 2015 (which would have made the youngest of these noisy fuel guzzlers at least 44 years old), was deliberate on the part of the author in trying to symbolize a disaster waiting to happen.
What I find puzzling is that when the inevitable yoghurt hits the fan on the supervisory appointment, it is the whistle blower who is punished, while the lying transgressor is restored, and corporate HQ is portrayed as a pitiable pimp peddling the supervisory job from Peter to Paul, almost begging one of them to take it. Again, I am not sure if this is a deliberate attempt to show the new morality that exists in Corporate North America today. I mourn for the days when job appointments were orchestrated with the utmost confidentiality, with proper protocols in place to announce management appointments, a time when HQ bosses descended like hawks upon field offices to get to the bottom of matters that were getting out of hand instead of relying on contradictory third-party reports that shifted like the surf on a sun-swept beach.
I am glad however that Azeez, who is the novel’s real hero to me, prevails in the end, and fulfills his fatherly role by showing Ameera the better way, whatever its rewards may be down the road, but a path that is a departure from her sterile life of sun, sex, booze and greed, and towards one of principled purpose. The novel is therefore a cautionary tale for the Gen Y people and a good snapshot of the illusiveness of unbridled appetites.
Ameera, a 29 year-old of mixed Canadian-Indian heritage, works at an all-inclusive resort in Huatulco, Mexico, and is on a team of tour-operator’s assistants made up of expatriates and locals. They up-sell local tours to visitors, mainly to gain brownie points with their bosses and not necessarily always for the benefit of their customers. All are vying for the new role of supervisor, as their Ottawa-based company looks to localize its management structure. The only problem is that Ameera has a fatal flaw, one frowned upon in the corporate world: she is a bisexual swinger with a rabid appetite for Thursday night orgies with her customers, without any attachments, for her sexual partners have to leave on their Friday departure flights.
Her origins are interesting; she has never met her Indian father who sired her after a one-night stand on the eve of the Air India bombing. I figured the tragic air disaster had to play somewhere in the narrative as it has become a staple in recent Indo-Canadian literature, just like the Holocaust is to the Jews. This traumatic genesis has left Ameera as a rather shallow young woman preoccupied with sensory and material pursuits. The ghost story comes into play when we switch to her father Azeez’s viewpoint; the latter is now a spirit, albeit a benign one, trying to make up for his abrupt departure from this world. Above all, Azeez is determined to guide his errant daughter, from the “other side.”
Therefore, there are two main story lines in the novel, narrated alternatively by Ameera and Aziz: Ameera is aspiring for promotion and fighting anonymous rumours about her sexual peccadilloes that are leaking all the way back to HQ in Ottawa, while Azeez is trying to make his unearthly presence felt (by “breathing” into humans, until they ‘feel” something) to his relatives both in India and Canada and steer them along the moral high ground, one that he himself strayed from just the day before his “accident.” While Ameera’s story is full of earthly foibles and preoccupations, Azeez’s story is a tender one of a loss never to be regained. He only has difficulty “breathing” into Ameera, for she is usually drunk after her shift, and “Alcohol is the ghost’s Kryptonite,” according to our gentle ghost.
The author captures the atmosphere and activities of a tour-resort extremely well. But herein lies the challenge with this setting in a fiction novel, for it is indeed a barren place populated with petty jealousies, unbridled sensual appetites, sun, sand, and bored and overfed people going through a routine that gets repeated weekly with different sets of players on every new plane that arrives. The action at the resort becomes repetitious and inconsequential. The point brought out strongly and realistically is the difference in meritocracy that exists between local and expatriate staff - the latter being always favoured. I wondered whether the repeated mention of the charter aircraft operating into Huatulco being DC8s, in the year 2015 (which would have made the youngest of these noisy fuel guzzlers at least 44 years old), was deliberate on the part of the author in trying to symbolize a disaster waiting to happen.
What I find puzzling is that when the inevitable yoghurt hits the fan on the supervisory appointment, it is the whistle blower who is punished, while the lying transgressor is restored, and corporate HQ is portrayed as a pitiable pimp peddling the supervisory job from Peter to Paul, almost begging one of them to take it. Again, I am not sure if this is a deliberate attempt to show the new morality that exists in Corporate North America today. I mourn for the days when job appointments were orchestrated with the utmost confidentiality, with proper protocols in place to announce management appointments, a time when HQ bosses descended like hawks upon field offices to get to the bottom of matters that were getting out of hand instead of relying on contradictory third-party reports that shifted like the surf on a sun-swept beach.
I am glad however that Azeez, who is the novel’s real hero to me, prevails in the end, and fulfills his fatherly role by showing Ameera the better way, whatever its rewards may be down the road, but a path that is a departure from her sterile life of sun, sex, booze and greed, and towards one of principled purpose. The novel is therefore a cautionary tale for the Gen Y people and a good snapshot of the illusiveness of unbridled appetites.
June 27, 2016
Toronto-based, Lambda-award-winning novelist Farzana Doctor’s latest book All Inclusive is nothing short of extraordinary. As always with Doctor’s novels (this is her third), there’s her trademark sharp insight into the human psyche and this gentle, calming, empathetic lens as she explores her characters. You can see how she is also a social worker who practices psychotherapy. But her latest book is what I’ve come to expect from her and more. As cliché as this might sound, I’ve really never read anything like All Inclusive before. It manages to take so many different themes and kinds of people, throwing them together to make this kind of magical, delicious soup of a story when you imagined it would turn into some inedible slop. Here are some of the ingredients: ...
See the rest of my review on my blog.
See the rest of my review on my blog.
June 7, 2016
I'm kind of perplexed by this book. Half told by Ameera, a young woman who works at an all-inclusive resort and is hoping for a promotion, and the other half by the spirit of her deceased father, there's a lot going on here, although none of it really comes together in a satisfying way. Compelling, but I can't quite put my finger on why.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 28, 2015
Content warnings: mentions of death, mentions of terrorism, bisexual relationships, consensual non monogamy, lesbian relationship, gay relationship
I received a free copy for a fair and honest review from NetGalley.
Holy crap! I am absolutely in love with this book. Especially the amount of research that went into this book. We've got actual cities in Mexico and Canada as well as actual acts of terrorism mentioned in this book. One of the happiest things about this book for me is that there are NO love triangles. Instead there are swingers and polyamorous people. And the lead female is more or less bisexual (she's asked about it and kinda goes with it but isn't a huge fan of labels for herself). Oh and we have a trans character (though that character is kind of more or less an afterthought but doesn't feel like a caricature or anything).
It took me a few chapters to realise what was going on with Azeez and Ameera and their connections to each other but once it hit me my jaw dropped and I went "no way" and then when it was finally stated in the book I continued my "no way". I also figured out the source of who was sabotaging Ameera before she did as well. But that has to do more with my own experiences of people backstabbing me.
I loved the fact that Azeez and Ameera were definitely not white. I mean yeah, Ameera is half white but she doesn't fully look it from the description of her in the book. I also like that the author included the fact that dissent between the locals and tourist places exist. And it wasn't glossed over or treated as "this is just the way it has to be". It was treated more as "this is a thing that happens and despite what the tourist place says it was anything but amicable". And while yeah, I'd like to be a tourist one day and visit places I'd also like to get to know the local culture before I go and while I'm there and put money into their economy rather than tourist places.
The swinger and polyamorous couples felt real and authentic to me. As I know quite a few of both groups in my personal life I can definitely say that the author definitely put in a lot of research and made them more like the real people I actually know in those lifestyles and that made me really happy. It's not something I often see in books. Outside of books that are explicitly about the lifestyles.
This is the first book I've read of the author's and I definitely want to read more by them especially if the other books by them are as fantastic as this one. I honestly couldn't find the words to recommend it enough to others.
I received a free copy for a fair and honest review from NetGalley.
Holy crap! I am absolutely in love with this book. Especially the amount of research that went into this book. We've got actual cities in Mexico and Canada as well as actual acts of terrorism mentioned in this book. One of the happiest things about this book for me is that there are NO love triangles. Instead there are swingers and polyamorous people. And the lead female is more or less bisexual (she's asked about it and kinda goes with it but isn't a huge fan of labels for herself). Oh and we have a trans character (though that character is kind of more or less an afterthought but doesn't feel like a caricature or anything).
It took me a few chapters to realise what was going on with Azeez and Ameera and their connections to each other but once it hit me my jaw dropped and I went "no way" and then when it was finally stated in the book I continued my "no way". I also figured out the source of who was sabotaging Ameera before she did as well. But that has to do more with my own experiences of people backstabbing me.
I loved the fact that Azeez and Ameera were definitely not white. I mean yeah, Ameera is half white but she doesn't fully look it from the description of her in the book. I also like that the author included the fact that dissent between the locals and tourist places exist. And it wasn't glossed over or treated as "this is just the way it has to be". It was treated more as "this is a thing that happens and despite what the tourist place says it was anything but amicable". And while yeah, I'd like to be a tourist one day and visit places I'd also like to get to know the local culture before I go and while I'm there and put money into their economy rather than tourist places.
The swinger and polyamorous couples felt real and authentic to me. As I know quite a few of both groups in my personal life I can definitely say that the author definitely put in a lot of research and made them more like the real people I actually know in those lifestyles and that made me really happy. It's not something I often see in books. Outside of books that are explicitly about the lifestyles.
This is the first book I've read of the author's and I definitely want to read more by them especially if the other books by them are as fantastic as this one. I honestly couldn't find the words to recommend it enough to others.
February 25, 2016
What do you get when you put together the largest terrorist air attack ever, Caribbean orgies, and ghosts who communicate by blowing dead breath into the mouths of the living? And let's throw in a token, but small, inconsequential dash of transgenderism while I'm thinking of it, shall we?
You get Farzana Doctor's new awkward, strange "chick lit" patchwork quilt that may have been titled "Covering all topics I like to think about in one saucy novel."
Look, I honestly do not care how people live their consenting adult sex lives -- none of those "sexy" issues bothered me one bit (although admittedly, some of the raunchier scenes did catch me by surprise). What I stumbled on in this book was the way it weaved together these topics with the horrific Air India crash for which true justice has never been served. And the notion that nearly-reincarnated relatives hover around needing things like empty seats on planes, or directions to locations written down for reference. It's odd. The whole thing was odd. Deepak Chopra meets Emily Giffin.
I am uncomfortable knocking an author's work. I know that everyone puts forth their best work, gives it their heart and soul. Ms Doctor, if you're reading this, please accept my apologies for any offense you may feel. I also, however, depend on honest reviews from other readers when choosing my own books, which is why I have put this one up.
As a pottery teacher once said to me when I actually liked a bowl I'd made, "there's no accounting for taste."
You get Farzana Doctor's new awkward, strange "chick lit" patchwork quilt that may have been titled "Covering all topics I like to think about in one saucy novel."
Look, I honestly do not care how people live their consenting adult sex lives -- none of those "sexy" issues bothered me one bit (although admittedly, some of the raunchier scenes did catch me by surprise). What I stumbled on in this book was the way it weaved together these topics with the horrific Air India crash for which true justice has never been served. And the notion that nearly-reincarnated relatives hover around needing things like empty seats on planes, or directions to locations written down for reference. It's odd. The whole thing was odd. Deepak Chopra meets Emily Giffin.
I am uncomfortable knocking an author's work. I know that everyone puts forth their best work, gives it their heart and soul. Ms Doctor, if you're reading this, please accept my apologies for any offense you may feel. I also, however, depend on honest reviews from other readers when choosing my own books, which is why I have put this one up.
As a pottery teacher once said to me when I actually liked a bowl I'd made, "there's no accounting for taste."
November 27, 2016
I have been waiting to read this book for a while (trying to use the library more) and it was worth the wait! First of all, I am happy to say that I knew the author, Farzana, when we were studying at McMaster University at the same time, and I have read and loved all of her books so far, and I am also really happy to see parts of this book situated at McMaster and in Hamilton. I also loved the way that Farzana wove the Air India bombing tragedy into this story, and her normative matter-of-fact dealing with race and sexuality throughout the story... the premise is creative and innovative and I can't wait to see what else Farzana will have up her sleeve. Don't want to give any spoilers to those of you who might read this book.
October 7, 2015
It's an enormous relief to read a book with a protagonist who has sexual desires similar to your own who isn't vilified because of it. The fact that it's lovingly written with detail and and cross-cultural insight makes this a great read even for people with more conventional sexual identities.
February 5, 2018
2.5, actually because I did finish it. Disappointing. I expected more artful writing and deeper characterization from a writer who's won awards. In this book she spoon feeds us everything we need to know, leaving me, for one, without the fun of noodling some things out on my own.
August 25, 2015
Another winner of a read from Farzana Doctor!
Read
November 10, 2025A very strange story that at once seems utterly unrealistic yet at the same time constantly reminds the reader that everything we consider normal depends on our perspective. There are two focal characters in the novel; one is dead. But this one belongs to a spiritual community which believes in reincarnation. From his perspective, everything that's happening is normal. The second is a young woman who delights in threesomes with a different set of partners pretty much every week. She is pansexual, and no matter how much trouble (re job security, for one big example) exploring her sexuality causes her, she follows her desire and her taste for alcohol pretty much incessantly. There is no such woman. Or do I just mean that I've never met her, never met a woman like her? She seems unrealistic to me, but what is realism? Definitely an unusual story, and I remain uncertain how I feel about the ending. Is it a happy ending? Depends on perspective.
July 21, 2017
Every bit as perfect as I expected. It's life, loss & everything between. The title couldn't be more appropriate. I was surprisingly affected by this one, pulled into the impulsive passions of a twenty-nine year old, driven by hope & love.
June 14, 2022
Have you read about a spirit's one-night-stand love story? Very rare if not impossible, right! Well, Farzana Doctor brings us a delicate love story woven together with a family story with her book All Inclusive.
A lot of details make this novel unique and intriguing. One of the primary being that the book has is written from two viewpoints, Ameera and Azeez, whose stories are interconnected. Readers will know about this connection later in the book. The book speaks about individual freedom, the individual choices we make, and accepting ourselves. It also elaborates on the importance of accepting others and telling them it is normal and they are perfect just the way they are.
As Azeez said to his loving Nafu, “Follow your heart.”
In her book, Farzana portrayed the strong character of Ameera. She is an independent girl, flaunting her personality and living her life on her terms. Ameera's bisexuality and flexibility have been portrayed in such an interesting way that readers can delve into her life completely and enjoy the spiciness of the protagonist. On the other hand, Azeez’s never-ending love for Nora hasn't changed over thirty years. His attempts to inform her daughter about him took me to an emotional pool of thoughts.
Delving deeper into the main characters
Ameera
March 27, 2015 - the date when Ameera Gilbert's story begins. She is a 28-year-old Canadian woman, who is successfully working at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico as a tourist representative. Ameera's messy life with lots of ups and downs left her at a crossroad with no idea where her life was taking her. She's a bisexual woman who is often found making out with tourists and getting involved in a threesome or some other sexual activity.
Her way of discovering love and redefining relationships are different from most of us, but the author has written it in a relatable manner that it feels completely normal.
“I was trying on something new, experiencing sex as recreational, my own “girl-brain” configuring itself, perhaps. Except I was doing it through threesomes” Ameera mentions.
Azeez
The second story is about Azeez, which started on June 21, 1985, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One day earlier than the day of the plane crash which happens on 22 June 1985. He is a visa student from India pursuing his PhD from Canada. It's been over five years since he's been living here and he is familiar with the place. His encounter with Nora took a romantic and poignant turn in their life. Nora was an only child to her parents, had grown up in Hamilton, and had almost completed her B.A. She’d applied to do her Masters in Anthropology. And now she is Ameera’s single mother.
DIVING DEEPER
Ameera’s life is messed up after she receives an email from her boss. She was dumbstruck by the content of the mail. Her boss Anita warned her:
“I’m writing to notify you that we received an anonymous complaint through our online comment form today. Although a record of it will be filed in your employee record, we will not follow up unless there are repeated complaints of a similar nature (it’s nearly impossible to investigate when there is no contact information left by the complainant).”
Ameera has been charged with being sexually inappropriate, and the complainant is unknown. This thought kept messing with her head, as she couldn't remember what inappropriateness she had shown to the tourists. Her first doubt was Blythe for two reasons. First, she was her roommate and second, she wanted a bigger position in the company.
Enrique, her co-worker, often compliments Ameera when she wears the civil uniform. Once she wore a sundress and he couldn't move his eyes and complimented her “That colour is perfect for you against your brown skin, Ameera; you should show off your back more — have you been exercising?”
Ameera receives lots of proposals from her colleagues and tourists. She is flexible with relationships and her bisexuality drives the tourists crazy. In the book, the meeting between Ameera and the Italian couples, Serena and Sebastiano, Jessie and Wanda, Suzanne and Todd and Roberto’s chemistry is spiced up dramatically by the author. She has beautifully mentioned the small details of their meet-up and hookups.
THE CRASHING INCIDENT
Azeez had his share of struggles in the other chapters of the book. Readers can encounter several upsetting moments during this course of revelations. Azeez booked a flight for 22nd June. While he was leaving Canada for the job in Bombay, nobody came to see him off. He noticed that other travellers were receiving heartfelt goodbyes and see you soon kisses, as they were probably going on vacation to their grandparents.
One of the parents may be constantly travelling or sometimes both of them. He remarked “I wondered what it would be like to send one’s children away, even if only for the summer holidays. Were my parents bereft when they dropped me off five years earlier?” During his time at the airport, he met a little girl of eight years named Meena. She kept Azeez engaged with her bubbly chitchat and everything was going smooth. Suddenly, a deafening boom vibrated, leaving everyone in shock. All the passengers became the victims of this tragedy. The plane toppled from one side to another, and Azeez encountered the most dangerous plane crash incident.
“Frigid sunshine cracked open the aeroplane and there was a deafening buzz that killed all other sounds. And then there was a black silence.”
While Azeez lost his life in the Air India bombing, his parents, brother and sister were astonished and broken by the news. Azeez forgot to take Nora’s number after they spent a romantic time the previous day, so he couldn't inform her about his departure. All these years she thought he was a fraud and warned her daughter saying, “Ameera, men are like that. All they want is sex. Everyone I’ve dated. Even your biological father. They’re all the same.” Her mother and father's chemistry is complicated but full of emotions. Ameera was unaware of her biological father, she knew only what her mother told her. So, all these years Ameera had been living with just one identity, “I was the mixed-race daughter of a strong single mother. Period.”
UNVEILING THE TRUTH
It has been nearly 28 years since Azeez was living as a spirit listening to the thoughts of his mother and father. He once went West to find Nora and found that she is working in a bank and had a new partner. They were not married, merely dating. He felt sad and came back to India. But destiny had planned something else.
His intuitions took him to his daughter, Ameera. He wanted to hug her and tell her everything but he stopped himself from telling everything at once. Later, with the lesbian couple, Wanda and Jessie's trial to find Azeez was successful. Ameera found a loop to her biological father: three seemingly unrelated words: India, McMaster University, Azeez. And also a number: 1985. Ameera faced the bitter truth.
Unending Canadian inquiry into Kanishka’s bombing. It uncovered a cascading series of blunders beginning with the RCMP’s investigations before the attack, and ending with mistakes by airport check-in and security staff. Three hundred and twenty-nine deaths in Air India Bombing on 22 June 1985. Along with the name of the dead people, there was another name Azeez Dholkawala, Ameera’s biological father. After she uncovered the truth, she went to India after mailing Nadeem. He is her uncle and Ameera is her aunt with whom her name is related. For the first time, she was meeting her father's side of the family.
Time Flies, Suns Rise and Shadows Fall. Let it Pass by, Love Reigns Forever Over All.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
The book is deep and profound despite being a breezy read. It is recommended for readers above 16 years owing to the inclusion of various adult plots. The vocabulary is quite mature for young readers which makes it purely adult fiction. The book can be read at any time of the day for a refreshing yet emotional roller coaster ride. But it has a deep message to learn to accept yourself just the way you are. Nobody else’s opinion matters.
A lot of details make this novel unique and intriguing. One of the primary being that the book has is written from two viewpoints, Ameera and Azeez, whose stories are interconnected. Readers will know about this connection later in the book. The book speaks about individual freedom, the individual choices we make, and accepting ourselves. It also elaborates on the importance of accepting others and telling them it is normal and they are perfect just the way they are.
As Azeez said to his loving Nafu, “Follow your heart.”
In her book, Farzana portrayed the strong character of Ameera. She is an independent girl, flaunting her personality and living her life on her terms. Ameera's bisexuality and flexibility have been portrayed in such an interesting way that readers can delve into her life completely and enjoy the spiciness of the protagonist. On the other hand, Azeez’s never-ending love for Nora hasn't changed over thirty years. His attempts to inform her daughter about him took me to an emotional pool of thoughts.
Delving deeper into the main characters
Ameera
March 27, 2015 - the date when Ameera Gilbert's story begins. She is a 28-year-old Canadian woman, who is successfully working at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico as a tourist representative. Ameera's messy life with lots of ups and downs left her at a crossroad with no idea where her life was taking her. She's a bisexual woman who is often found making out with tourists and getting involved in a threesome or some other sexual activity.
Her way of discovering love and redefining relationships are different from most of us, but the author has written it in a relatable manner that it feels completely normal.
“I was trying on something new, experiencing sex as recreational, my own “girl-brain” configuring itself, perhaps. Except I was doing it through threesomes” Ameera mentions.
Azeez
The second story is about Azeez, which started on June 21, 1985, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. One day earlier than the day of the plane crash which happens on 22 June 1985. He is a visa student from India pursuing his PhD from Canada. It's been over five years since he's been living here and he is familiar with the place. His encounter with Nora took a romantic and poignant turn in their life. Nora was an only child to her parents, had grown up in Hamilton, and had almost completed her B.A. She’d applied to do her Masters in Anthropology. And now she is Ameera’s single mother.
DIVING DEEPER
Ameera’s life is messed up after she receives an email from her boss. She was dumbstruck by the content of the mail. Her boss Anita warned her:
“I’m writing to notify you that we received an anonymous complaint through our online comment form today. Although a record of it will be filed in your employee record, we will not follow up unless there are repeated complaints of a similar nature (it’s nearly impossible to investigate when there is no contact information left by the complainant).”
Ameera has been charged with being sexually inappropriate, and the complainant is unknown. This thought kept messing with her head, as she couldn't remember what inappropriateness she had shown to the tourists. Her first doubt was Blythe for two reasons. First, she was her roommate and second, she wanted a bigger position in the company.
Enrique, her co-worker, often compliments Ameera when she wears the civil uniform. Once she wore a sundress and he couldn't move his eyes and complimented her “That colour is perfect for you against your brown skin, Ameera; you should show off your back more — have you been exercising?”
Ameera receives lots of proposals from her colleagues and tourists. She is flexible with relationships and her bisexuality drives the tourists crazy. In the book, the meeting between Ameera and the Italian couples, Serena and Sebastiano, Jessie and Wanda, Suzanne and Todd and Roberto’s chemistry is spiced up dramatically by the author. She has beautifully mentioned the small details of their meet-up and hookups.
THE CRASHING INCIDENT
Azeez had his share of struggles in the other chapters of the book. Readers can encounter several upsetting moments during this course of revelations. Azeez booked a flight for 22nd June. While he was leaving Canada for the job in Bombay, nobody came to see him off. He noticed that other travellers were receiving heartfelt goodbyes and see you soon kisses, as they were probably going on vacation to their grandparents.
One of the parents may be constantly travelling or sometimes both of them. He remarked “I wondered what it would be like to send one’s children away, even if only for the summer holidays. Were my parents bereft when they dropped me off five years earlier?” During his time at the airport, he met a little girl of eight years named Meena. She kept Azeez engaged with her bubbly chitchat and everything was going smooth. Suddenly, a deafening boom vibrated, leaving everyone in shock. All the passengers became the victims of this tragedy. The plane toppled from one side to another, and Azeez encountered the most dangerous plane crash incident.
“Frigid sunshine cracked open the aeroplane and there was a deafening buzz that killed all other sounds. And then there was a black silence.”
While Azeez lost his life in the Air India bombing, his parents, brother and sister were astonished and broken by the news. Azeez forgot to take Nora’s number after they spent a romantic time the previous day, so he couldn't inform her about his departure. All these years she thought he was a fraud and warned her daughter saying, “Ameera, men are like that. All they want is sex. Everyone I’ve dated. Even your biological father. They’re all the same.” Her mother and father's chemistry is complicated but full of emotions. Ameera was unaware of her biological father, she knew only what her mother told her. So, all these years Ameera had been living with just one identity, “I was the mixed-race daughter of a strong single mother. Period.”
UNVEILING THE TRUTH
It has been nearly 28 years since Azeez was living as a spirit listening to the thoughts of his mother and father. He once went West to find Nora and found that she is working in a bank and had a new partner. They were not married, merely dating. He felt sad and came back to India. But destiny had planned something else.
His intuitions took him to his daughter, Ameera. He wanted to hug her and tell her everything but he stopped himself from telling everything at once. Later, with the lesbian couple, Wanda and Jessie's trial to find Azeez was successful. Ameera found a loop to her biological father: three seemingly unrelated words: India, McMaster University, Azeez. And also a number: 1985. Ameera faced the bitter truth.
Unending Canadian inquiry into Kanishka’s bombing. It uncovered a cascading series of blunders beginning with the RCMP’s investigations before the attack, and ending with mistakes by airport check-in and security staff. Three hundred and twenty-nine deaths in Air India Bombing on 22 June 1985. Along with the name of the dead people, there was another name Azeez Dholkawala, Ameera’s biological father. After she uncovered the truth, she went to India after mailing Nadeem. He is her uncle and Ameera is her aunt with whom her name is related. For the first time, she was meeting her father's side of the family.
Time Flies, Suns Rise and Shadows Fall. Let it Pass by, Love Reigns Forever Over All.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
The book is deep and profound despite being a breezy read. It is recommended for readers above 16 years owing to the inclusion of various adult plots. The vocabulary is quite mature for young readers which makes it purely adult fiction. The book can be read at any time of the day for a refreshing yet emotional roller coaster ride. But it has a deep message to learn to accept yourself just the way you are. Nobody else’s opinion matters.
September 26, 2018
Highly recommend this book. Explores, kindly and beautifully, the lives and perspectives of two people linked by fate and expectations, as they unravel their needs for both connections and escapes. Engaging writing, with an inclusive (no pun intended) cast of characters all trying to learn what it means to find and stay true to yourself and how to let go of the rest.
September 26, 2015
i got this book Wednesday night, I read it Thursday, and I write about it today. I guess you could say it is the story of two people, how their lives intersect, and then drift apart. I liked Ameera's story, she is a very likeable and sympathetic character, even if she is making choices that are not the best. But I loved the parts of the story with Azeez. I cried so much. It was sad, but I found it to be very cathartic. Azeez's story was like a double edged sword (oddly enough I take this analogy from a documentary of a famous indian dancer who lost her husband and daughters on the air india disaster, when she said words to the effect that life is a double edged sword). Azeez's story is beautiful and hopeful, and extremely sad, and i loved the author's depiction of the afterlife. A Beautiful read, and really changed my mindset in terms of opening myself and my mind up. i loved the words and the imagery and the visual pictures my mind conjured, but still very sad. The beauty of the thought of the afterlife, contrasted with the fact that you are in a transitory phase, like purgatory, where you are witness to not only your own death but the sadness of those you left behind. Is it better to believe there is no afterlife rather than to face an afterlife whereby you are an active participant in the sadness of the lives of those people you left behind? No more mulling over. i have no answers. Its a gorgeous novel.
November 9, 2020
If I describe the plot of this book, it will sound like the most ridiculous story. But stay with me for a minute. The protagonist is a Canadian who finds herself drifting along through random jobs and lands in Mexico where she works at an all-inclusive resort. She likes hooking up with couples and finds plenty of interest among the tourists passing through. But also, there's the ghost of her dead father trying to connect with her and help her find out about him. And the cross-cultural examination of the native-Mexican employees versus the imported Canadians. Oh, and the protagonist is actually half-Indian.
So, it sounds like this book should be a complete mess. But this author makes it work. First, kudos to the author for how sex-positive this book is. The protagonist likes hooking up with couples, sometimes ones of the same sex. And she's okay with that. And, mostly, so are the people around her. But it's realistic as well--the feelings of both pleasure and loneliness, the questioning of her own desires. The sex here is part of the psychology of the character, not played for eroticism. Second, I can't believe that I liked the ghost story aspect of this book, but I did. My normal reaction would be eye-rolling (and, I'll admit to an initial eye-roll when the ghostliness was introduced). But again the author surprised me with how well it integrated with the story.
I want to read more of this author's books.
So, it sounds like this book should be a complete mess. But this author makes it work. First, kudos to the author for how sex-positive this book is. The protagonist likes hooking up with couples, sometimes ones of the same sex. And she's okay with that. And, mostly, so are the people around her. But it's realistic as well--the feelings of both pleasure and loneliness, the questioning of her own desires. The sex here is part of the psychology of the character, not played for eroticism. Second, I can't believe that I liked the ghost story aspect of this book, but I did. My normal reaction would be eye-rolling (and, I'll admit to an initial eye-roll when the ghostliness was introduced). But again the author surprised me with how well it integrated with the story.
I want to read more of this author's books.
July 18, 2015
I received this book free of cost from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for a review
I admit, it's my most grievous fault that I expected things from this book that it failed to fulfill. Like how it would be a tearjerker about a girl in search of her identity and roots which she believes lie buried in the truth of who her father is and where he is. What I got in return was lots of reminiscing of sexcapades with swinger couples, in more detail than I required. I'm not a prude, but I felt scammed by filling up the book with lurid detailing instead of content that actually mattered. At this point I should probably mention how much I struggled to not judge Ameera but once she spills everything, it's impossible not to. This idiot gets probated because of complaints against her which accuse her of crossing lines with customers and she doesn't try all that hard to abstain. I found myself thirsting for Azeez's POVs to get a break from her whining.
If you ignore the above, you will find a book worth reading. I really liked how the author brings character evolutions in Oscar, Roberto, Enrique and many others. She also has a way with words that I lamented the ill-use she subjected her talent to.
I admit, it's my most grievous fault that I expected things from this book that it failed to fulfill. Like how it would be a tearjerker about a girl in search of her identity and roots which she believes lie buried in the truth of who her father is and where he is. What I got in return was lots of reminiscing of sexcapades with swinger couples, in more detail than I required. I'm not a prude, but I felt scammed by filling up the book with lurid detailing instead of content that actually mattered. At this point I should probably mention how much I struggled to not judge Ameera but once she spills everything, it's impossible not to. This idiot gets probated because of complaints against her which accuse her of crossing lines with customers and she doesn't try all that hard to abstain. I found myself thirsting for Azeez's POVs to get a break from her whining.
If you ignore the above, you will find a book worth reading. I really liked how the author brings character evolutions in Oscar, Roberto, Enrique and many others. She also has a way with words that I lamented the ill-use she subjected her talent to.
September 27, 2016
So I had headed to the library to pick up Six Metres of Pavement to work through my 100 novels that make you proud to be Canadian, and meet a GLBT requirement for a BINGO Challenge. The library did not have that book in, but it did have All Inclusive on the shelf so I picked it up instead-not knowing a thing about this book.
It was a strange read for me. Definitely innovative, never read anything like it before. Really good writing. A story and plotline that flowed really nicely, I read it fairy quickly 3 1/2 hours in total.
However the premise is so odd, that it really left me with a big ???? What was that ??? at the end of the book.
I don't enjoy magical realism type books, and one of the main characters in the story is a spirit/ghost, so I think that is the main thing that has thrown me off.
However it was strong enough that I am anxious to read Six Metres of Pavement
It was a strange read for me. Definitely innovative, never read anything like it before. Really good writing. A story and plotline that flowed really nicely, I read it fairy quickly 3 1/2 hours in total.
However the premise is so odd, that it really left me with a big ???? What was that ??? at the end of the book.
I don't enjoy magical realism type books, and one of the main characters in the story is a spirit/ghost, so I think that is the main thing that has thrown me off.
However it was strong enough that I am anxious to read Six Metres of Pavement
August 25, 2015
I loved this book! It is so refreshing to read a character like Ameera, a woman who is both sure of herself but still searching for something more. She is sexually exploratory, but still struggles to live freely with that identity. She is waiting for more responsibility, but not quite sure if this is what she wants. The switching perspective between Ameera's story and Azeez's story adds texture to the narrative and I loved the magical realism elements of the ghost story.
I recommend this book to everyone, but especially those looking for a late coming of age/new adult story, family sagas, and those that appreciate diversity in literature.
There are some sexy bits, FYI, but you can handle it!
I recommend this book to everyone, but especially those looking for a late coming of age/new adult story, family sagas, and those that appreciate diversity in literature.
There are some sexy bits, FYI, but you can handle it!
May 6, 2016
I was a bit surprised to find that this novel was the author's latest. It feels a bit like an earlier version of this writer's skill that was so compelling in Six Meters of Pavement. Still very good. It was difficult to put down after the totally unexpected happens. This event so swiftly shifts your expectations of what the novel is and will be about. I had to re-read that event a few times to double check my understanding. Flipping back in the pages leading up to this event I found subtle clues that should have had alerted me, but didn't. In this book and Six Meters, Farzana Doctor writes about the daily lives of those living with the aftermath of personal tragedy long after the story has left the front pages of the newspapers.
November 8, 2017
All Inclusive is the tale of Ameera, a young Canadian woman searching for her identity while she bides her time working at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico. Her father Azeez, who only met Ameera's mother once, searches for his daughter throughout the book, seeking some kind of relationship with her.
I didn't find the characters or plot particularly compelling. I kept waiting for Ameera to get into a situation that was really critical, but she didn't. This felt like something that should have been workshopped more thoroughly.
I didn't find the characters or plot particularly compelling. I kept waiting for Ameera to get into a situation that was really critical, but she didn't. This felt like something that should have been workshopped more thoroughly.
December 18, 2015
This is the second book that I have read by this author. Excellent! She can get into a situation, almost as if she is living it herself and knows exactly how the characters feel and act. Ameera is from Hamilton Ontario and is working as a tour representative at a resort in Mexico. She never knew her father but is interested in finding out about him if possible. Her mother has only very limited information about him.
Very good read.
Very good read.
May 21, 2017
All Inclusive is about a character who is not all there. Pieces are missing. Family ties are absent. I loved how Doctor authors a path of hope for someone so aimless. The book reads as a conversation you're having with a good friend who makes bad life choices. But as you do w your friend, you trust, you don't push, you know they will get through this rough patch and meet you on the other side. And that's exactly what happens in this satisfying read.
November 1, 2018
I enjoyed this book so much! I was unable to put it down when I started reading it yesterday, and I read and read and read finished it too after about three hours. Today I suffer with lack of sleep and a great book hangover.
January 11, 2016
Do not go on holidays without this book. It's a sexy literary page turner with a big heart beating at its centre. Goes great with your fav beach drink.
April 2, 2018
Although I did not love All Inclusive as much as I loved Six Meters of Pavement, it grew on me as I went along. Initially when Doctor introduces the supernatural element (I won't say more lest it be too much of a spoiler) I was a bit perturbed because I thought it would be a realist novel through and through and I didn't know how it 'fit' with the rest of the narrative. But this element grew on me and I came to enjoy how it contributed to the development of all the characters.
I struggled a bit to understand how Ameera, ostensibly a smart person, would choose to hook up with the clients of her resort. This is a super stupid move especially if you're hoping to advance in your career, and it was never totally clear to me why she was so imprudent. I'm not judging the sex part, it's just the 'with whom' part. As one ex of mine used to put it (re: polyamory), "you don't shit where you eat." But perhaps the point is that it shouldn't matter to her boss whether she screws the clients on her own time, and maybe her boss should even applaud it. With few exceptions, Ameera's sexual adventurousness enhances the clients' experience at the resort.
I had no problem believing Ameera likes threesomes or casual sex (I don't feel this is a spoiler because it's established very early in the novel), and in fact found it refreshing to have a female character who likes casual sex with men and women who is not messed up over it/it doesn't seem to be a sign of her damage. Even after she works through some emotional issues in the novel, she's still into the idea of sexual exploration. She doesn't disavow it as some self-harming activity she did at a low point, which I feel is a more typical narrative. I really appreciated Ameera as a sexually confident, unashamed female character, who also is multidimensional (that is, not a sex bot).
At times I felt Doctor was a bit heavy handed with establishing the cultural and geographical landscape, whether of the 80s or the contemporary moment (2010s) with copious references to specific pop songs, facebook, Jackson Square Mall and other cultural and landscape touchstones. That said, it was kind of neat to see Hamilton and McMaster (my alma mater) featured in a novel.
Overall, I appreciated that in this novel, as with Six Meters of Pavement, Doctor writes a fresh, compelling representation of globalization in the Canadian context (and in this case also the Mexican context, with a gentle but necessary critique of cultural imperialism). I love that her novels feature plenty of characters with different cultural/ethnic/racial/sexual identities who manage to be friends and lovers. The plot is also truly unique. They are hopeful novels, reaching across difference in a truly despairing and divisive time. I will seek out more of her work to enjoy.
I struggled a bit to understand how Ameera, ostensibly a smart person, would choose to hook up with the clients of her resort. This is a super stupid move especially if you're hoping to advance in your career, and it was never totally clear to me why she was so imprudent. I'm not judging the sex part, it's just the 'with whom' part. As one ex of mine used to put it (re: polyamory), "you don't shit where you eat." But perhaps the point is that it shouldn't matter to her boss whether she screws the clients on her own time, and maybe her boss should even applaud it. With few exceptions, Ameera's sexual adventurousness enhances the clients' experience at the resort.
I had no problem believing Ameera likes threesomes or casual sex (I don't feel this is a spoiler because it's established very early in the novel), and in fact found it refreshing to have a female character who likes casual sex with men and women who is not messed up over it/it doesn't seem to be a sign of her damage. Even after she works through some emotional issues in the novel, she's still into the idea of sexual exploration. She doesn't disavow it as some self-harming activity she did at a low point, which I feel is a more typical narrative. I really appreciated Ameera as a sexually confident, unashamed female character, who also is multidimensional (that is, not a sex bot).
At times I felt Doctor was a bit heavy handed with establishing the cultural and geographical landscape, whether of the 80s or the contemporary moment (2010s) with copious references to specific pop songs, facebook, Jackson Square Mall and other cultural and landscape touchstones. That said, it was kind of neat to see Hamilton and McMaster (my alma mater) featured in a novel.
Overall, I appreciated that in this novel, as with Six Meters of Pavement, Doctor writes a fresh, compelling representation of globalization in the Canadian context (and in this case also the Mexican context, with a gentle but necessary critique of cultural imperialism). I love that her novels feature plenty of characters with different cultural/ethnic/racial/sexual identities who manage to be friends and lovers. The plot is also truly unique. They are hopeful novels, reaching across difference in a truly despairing and divisive time. I will seek out more of her work to enjoy.
December 14, 2017
ALL INCLUSIVE was released in 2015 and won the Kobo Best Book of the Year — Canadian Favourites Category; a wonderful achievement.
Canadian author Farzana Doctor also won the NOW Magazine Best Author of 2015. Upon reading ALL INCLUSIVE, I can certainly see why it won so many awards.
The subject matter of ALL INCLUSIVE firmly places it in 18+ readership category.
The main character is Ameera who has a white mother and a Middle Eastern father, a father she has never met and knows almost nothing about.
The tale swaps between two points of view. One is Ameera's and the other is her father, Azeez.
Despite never having met, Ameera and Azeez are connected. Ameera decides to search for him at the same time as he begins to search for her.
The main story is about Ameera and her job at an All-inclusive resort. Someone is trying to sabotage her and the promotion she thought she had in the bag.
While trying to figure out who is out to get her and why, there is an entire other story happening which is just as complicated as the main storyline; maybe more so.
With vividly realistic characters and descriptions that will paint brilliant pictures in the reader's mind, ALL INCLUSIVE is a delightful read. Readers will feel immersed in the story and feel almost sad when the book ends because they will not want to stop reading. It's a good thing that Farzana Doctor has more books available because I do not believe it is possible after reading this book to not become an instant fan of hers.
I rate ALL INCLUSIVE as 5 out of 5 Stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
To see the full review including author info and links to her social media sites, visit my blog at http://Amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com and don't forget to follow me on Instagram
http://www.instagram.com/amiesbookrev...
Canadian author Farzana Doctor also won the NOW Magazine Best Author of 2015. Upon reading ALL INCLUSIVE, I can certainly see why it won so many awards.
The subject matter of ALL INCLUSIVE firmly places it in 18+ readership category.
The main character is Ameera who has a white mother and a Middle Eastern father, a father she has never met and knows almost nothing about.
The tale swaps between two points of view. One is Ameera's and the other is her father, Azeez.
Despite never having met, Ameera and Azeez are connected. Ameera decides to search for him at the same time as he begins to search for her.
The main story is about Ameera and her job at an All-inclusive resort. Someone is trying to sabotage her and the promotion she thought she had in the bag.
While trying to figure out who is out to get her and why, there is an entire other story happening which is just as complicated as the main storyline; maybe more so.
With vividly realistic characters and descriptions that will paint brilliant pictures in the reader's mind, ALL INCLUSIVE is a delightful read. Readers will feel immersed in the story and feel almost sad when the book ends because they will not want to stop reading. It's a good thing that Farzana Doctor has more books available because I do not believe it is possible after reading this book to not become an instant fan of hers.
I rate ALL INCLUSIVE as 5 out of 5 Stars. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
To see the full review including author info and links to her social media sites, visit my blog at http://Amiesbookreviews.wordpress.com and don't forget to follow me on Instagram
http://www.instagram.com/amiesbookrev...
May 6, 2018
“A story about one all-inclusive resort, the ghost of an unknown father, and the tragedies we can’t forget”.
Reading this one-liner on the back cover of “All Inclusive”, I had high hopes for the work. However, I am compelled to put it in my “not a bad novel, but not a great one either” bucket.
All Inclusive alternates throughout between the perspectives of its two primary characters. Ameera works at a posh, all-inclusive resort in Mexico and in her private time indulges her attraction to the swinger’s scene despite the fact that doing so is a risk to her job.
Azeez, her father as a result of a one-night stand, is killed in the Air India crash early in the novel. For the balance of the story, he exists as a spirit traveling the world seeking answers so he can pass over to the other side.
For my tastes, the chapters in “All Inclusive” are too short – particularly those in the Azeez perspective. The novel feels choppy and uneven with the frequent shifts in perspective. Azeez also failed to engage me a character strong enough to help drive a novel forward.
In summary, “All Inclusive” never quite got off the ground for me. I kept hoping to be pulled into the narrative and began to feel empathy for the characters. It just never happened.
Reading this one-liner on the back cover of “All Inclusive”, I had high hopes for the work. However, I am compelled to put it in my “not a bad novel, but not a great one either” bucket.
All Inclusive alternates throughout between the perspectives of its two primary characters. Ameera works at a posh, all-inclusive resort in Mexico and in her private time indulges her attraction to the swinger’s scene despite the fact that doing so is a risk to her job.
Azeez, her father as a result of a one-night stand, is killed in the Air India crash early in the novel. For the balance of the story, he exists as a spirit traveling the world seeking answers so he can pass over to the other side.
For my tastes, the chapters in “All Inclusive” are too short – particularly those in the Azeez perspective. The novel feels choppy and uneven with the frequent shifts in perspective. Azeez also failed to engage me a character strong enough to help drive a novel forward.
In summary, “All Inclusive” never quite got off the ground for me. I kept hoping to be pulled into the narrative and began to feel empathy for the characters. It just never happened.
February 13, 2021
All Inclusive by Farzana Doctor is a fascinating novel about the real world with elements of magical realism: a spirit interacts with humans. The novel starts with two storylines along with two main characters, Azeez and Ameera. The former is a visa student from India who dies in an Air India flight crash in 1985 after he’s obtained a Ph.D. degree in Canada and returns to his home country. The latter is a young Canadian woman of mixed-race heritage who works as a tourist representative in Mexico. The language is vivid. And with the first-person narration, the characters, even the spirit, come to life. I enjoy Azeez’s story very much, especially his wisdom and philosophical thoughts after his death. I think in the early part of Ameera’s story, the description of Ameera’s sexual activities with her clients is redundant, which slows down the pacing and could lose some readers. The relationship between Ameera and her mother is very well developed. The novel deals excellently with shades of the dark side of real life, such as death, a child without a father, and jealousness that hits the climber on the corporate ladder. The author has engrossing stories to tell.
December 26, 2025
I received a complimentary copy of this book at a Dundurn Press event in 2015 and I finally read it this month on my very first holiday at an all inclusive resort. The novel was unique - partly a critique of all inclusive resorts and how local people are treated compared to foreign guests and staff and partly a magical realist ghost story about a father who cannot rest until he has connected with a daughter he never knew about in life. I found the characters and writing quite compelling even though I've never read a book like this one. Interesting to see how in 2025, even a book published in 2015 feels like a historical novel with the references to Skype calls and DVDs instead of zoom and streaming!
March 28, 2018
THIS BOOK. Let me just say that this book is ALL INCLUSIVE. By a Canadian WOC, about a potentially poly bi woman of colour and her life as a tour rep in an All inclusive resort in Mexico. She’s a swinger, and she desperately tries to keep her work and social life separate, to very little avail. It’s a lovely book that explores what family means, what sexuality means, and does it in a delightfully light hearted way.
Doctor includes WOC, latinx people, lesbians, South Asian families, gay men, trans folk, poly people and bisexual people. She handles consent deftly, as well as familial relations and questions of identity. Amazing, and I will be recommending this book for ages.
Doctor includes WOC, latinx people, lesbians, South Asian families, gay men, trans folk, poly people and bisexual people. She handles consent deftly, as well as familial relations and questions of identity. Amazing, and I will be recommending this book for ages.
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