The retreat A novel

Raheem's second novel (after The Marriage Clock) is heartfelt, well-paced, and engrossing. Thirtysomething optometrist Nadia, married to physician Aman for 10 years, is devastated by the effects infertility treatments have had on their marriage. She craves the romance of their early carefree days, especially when she discovers several clues that cause her to believe that Aman is having an affair. In crisis, she gravitates to sister Zeba with whom she had lost contact following their mother's death over a year ago. More clues from Aman's cell phone and a tip from Nadia's patient point to pretty yoga teacher Lena as Aman's new love interest. Zeba hatches a zany and ridiculous plan to save her sister's marriage, involving Nadia befriending Lena at an upcoming yoga retreat and convincing her to break up with Aman. A chance encounter with a bear kicks off a spiraling series of events that lead Nadia to the truth. The book explores themes of infertility, gender roles, sisterhood, the South Asian diaspora, and the experience of children of immigrants. VERDICT Raheem's story is lively and funny, and readers will feel like cheering on lovable Nadia as she takes desperate measures to save her marriage and find peace.--Erin O. Romanyshyn

After 10 years of marriage, a woman comes to terms with the fact that she will not be able to have children and that her husband has drifted away from her. Nadia Abbasi, 35, is a successful optometrist with her own practice, and her husband, Aman, is a doctor in the Emergency Care unit at a nearby hospital. They have seen each other through the establishment of their careers in the Los Angeles area and numerous miscarriages and failed IVF treatments. But now Aman is distracted, always seemingly working, and Nadia knows that things are not quite right. She repairs a broken relationship with her once-close sister, Zeba, that suffered when their mother died of cancer the previous summer. (Zeba's status as the perfect daughter to their mother, and her marriage and two children, are stark reminders to Nadia of all she has not managed to accomplish). The sisters come together to try to figure out why Aman has been so distant. The indications that he is having an affair grow stronger and stronger as Zeba encourages Nadia to fight for her marriage and her love. Author Raheem has created a story that seems straightforward yet still contains an unexpected twist. Nadia is determined that she will not be the abandoned woman her mother was--on her deathbed still loving the man who walked away. This is an unexpected story that focuses closely on the cultural expectations that face Indian Muslim women--even those born and raised in the U.S.--that deals with love, secrets, the bonds of family, and the emotional pain that can be caused by loved ones. As the author writes: "Sometimes things have to come undone in order to be put back together again; it's in the process of mending that one discovers what it means to be whole." A gentle yet heart-wrenching exploration of how endings can also be seen as beginnings--depending on your point of view. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.