The Groom to Have Been [Paperback]

Saher Alam (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2008

A love story inspired by The Age of Innocence, about a young man and woman thwarted by tradition and the fears of a world suddenly defined by tragedy

Just as Nasr, a young man with a vibrant professional and social life in New York, begins to prepare for the arranged marriage he hopes will appease his Indian Muslim family and assure him a union as happy as his parents’, he starts to suspect that his true love has been within his reach his entire life. Nasr has known Jameela since they were children, and for nearly that long she has flouted the traditions her community holds dear. But now the rebellion that always made her seem dangerous suddenly makes him wonder if she might be his perfect match. Feeling increasingly trapped as his wedding date approaches, Nasr contemplates a drastic escape, but in the wake of 9/11, new fears and old prejudices threaten to stand between him and the promise of happiness. Current in its political themes and classic in its treatment of doomed love, The Groom to Have Been is a graceful and emotionally charged debut.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A cosmopolitan Indian-Canadian Muslim gets engaged and must deal with complicated feelings for an old friend, in Alam's absorbing debut. After living as a bachelor in New York for several years, Nasr agrees to let his mother arrange a marriage for him, despite concerns raised by childhood friend Jameela. Three years later, an international search leads him to Farah, who he hopes will share his sensibilities about the appropriate balance between tradition and modernity. The attacks of 9/11 disrupt their already complicated harmonizing process. Nasr finds himself having to defend Islam in his financial firm's copy room. Meanwhile, Nasr's relationship with Jameela undergoes changes. The book's epigraph is from Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence, and Alam sets up Nasr as Newland Archer and Jameela as the independent-minded Countess Olenska. (The two even attend a party hosted by a Van der Luyden.) Delicately crafted and multilayered, this moving book shows Alam to be a writer of great promise. (July)
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About the Author

Saher Alam was born in Lucknow, India, in 1973, and moved to the United States when she was five. She is a graduate of Princeton University and the Creative Writing program at Boston University. She was a fiction fellow at Emory University, and her stories have appeared in Best of the Fiction Workshops and the journal Literary Imagination. She lives in St. Louis, Missouri.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 399 pages
• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385524609
• ISBN-13: 978-0385524605
• Product Dimensions: 5.2 x 0.9 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,649,224 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent novel about ex-pat Indians in Canada and the US, April 19, 2009

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Meredith B. Trunk (Charlotte, NC) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Groom to Have Been (Paperback)

This story is so well told and interesting that it was difficult to put down. I sent a copy to my 19 year old college freshman and she also enjoyed it immensely.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully Drawn Characters and Culture, August 31, 2008

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Leslie D. Ehrlich (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Groom to Have Been (Paperback)

This book draws a rich picture of a 30-year old Indian man who goes back and forth between modern American life and his extended Indian family and culture. The main plot line is his choice to seek a wife through an arranged marriage, and the contrast between how he proceeds through that process and his tempestuous relationship with a female cousin/friend similar in age to him. The book raises questions about the various forms love takes and the implications. Can you grow to love your spouse in an arranged marriage? Is that process more effective in producing a "successful" union than a love match? What of the relationships of your childhood? Can you see them for what they are, and what they may become? Along the way, there are side excursions into the life of the Muslim community in America post-9/11 that are also very thought-provoking. All in all, I liked this book very much and recommend it highly.

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked it!, January 10, 2009

By 

JJem (Cleveland, OH USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Groom to Have Been (Paperback)

I am not an expert on the Indian culture or the Muslim religion, so I felt a little lost at times. However, the themes of family, love, and living in a small culture outside your country (while being influenced and judged by the larger community) were fascinating. I really recommend it.