Aboulela’s flat style coexists uneasily with her claims of providential intervention

Evidence

Aboulela employs a flat, direct narrative style, at once attuned to the generally mundane nature of existence. However, she is at the same time trying to persuade us of the reality of Najwa’s spiritual awakening and to get us to accept her understanding of providential intervention. — Peter Morey, Islamophobia and the Novel, 497

Categorization

Category: Connection Points

• XREF: The form/message mismatch is a test case for how Naqvi and Hamid handle religious claims within realist narration.