David and Ameena by Ami Rao

Summary:

Modern-day New York, a subway train. David, an American-Jewish jazz musician, torn between his dreams and his parents’ expectations, sees a woman across the carriage. Ameena, a British-Pakistani artist who left Manchester to escape the pressure from her conservative family, sees David. When a moment of sublime beauty occurs unexpectedly, the two connect, moved by their shared experience. From this flows a love that it appears will triumph above all. But as David and Ameena navigate their relationship, their ambitions, and the city they love, they discover the external world is not so easy to keep at bay. Ami Rao’s masterful debut novel picks apart the lives of two people, stripping them of their collective identities and, in doing so, facing up to the challenge of today: can love to give us the freedom to accept our differences?

My Review:

On a New York subway train eyes meet across the carriage and in that fleeting moment both David and Ameena fell for each other. David and Ameena (Fairlight Books) is the debut novel by Ami Rao and is beautiful modern day love story. Two people from different cultures and backgrounds and their hopes and ambitions and above all can love conquer the challenges that the pair face.

David is Jewish, his day job is an advertising executive but, in the evening, he plays jazz at various locations. Jazz is David’s first love. Ameena is a British Muslim from Manchester. After arriving in New York, she began a career as a journalist for a fashion magazine but there is more to Ameena, as away from her day job Ameena is an artist but there is more than just frustration in her work. Ameena is more than a strong character whereas David has a more relaxed and gentle way through life.

Form the first page until the last this is a beautiful story of just two people trying to find a way through this thing, we call life and everything that goes with it. Life is like the eb and flow of the tide and sometimes life like the sea can be quite rough and through both David and Ameena’s story we see the challenges they face, because of their cultures and their backgrounds.

I loved reading their story and wanted to cheer them on at every level. This is a couple that fell in love from that first fleeting glance across the carriage. But life was going to not make it easy for them. I loved reading about David’s love of jazz, mainly because I have love jazz for many years and Ameena’s struggles at being an artist. Sometimes it takes someone close to you to tell just how good you really are. When Ameena had to return home to Manchester for family reasons, there is a fear she may not return to New York and to David. Is this where their relationship comes to an end?

Settle down with David and Ameena story. I can recommend reading while listening to some jazz in the background.

It is so pleasing to see Ami now having written her first novel and already keen to see what comes next.

You can find out more about Ami Rao by visiting Ami’s website: Ami Rao

400 Pages.

My thanks to Fairlight Books for the review copy of David and Ameena by Ami Rao.  

David and Ameena by Ami Rao published by Fairlight Books and was published on published on 4^th February 2021 and is available to order through Waterstones, Amazon and through your local independent bookshop or through Bookshop.org that supports your local independent bookshop. UK Bookshop.org