Ayesha at Last

DEBUT Aspiring poet and substitute teacher Ayesha Shamsi lives with her close-knit family in Toronto. As the eldest daughter, she’s expected to set a good example, but she wants to explore the possibilities of life before settling down. Then she meets Khalid Mirza. Their first encounter doesn’t go smoothly—Ayesha finds him judgmental and too traditional—but their paths continue to cross as Ayesha, posing as her flighty cousin, Hafsa, and Khalid collaborate on a conference at their local mosque. They soon realize that their first impressions of each other were inaccurate—just in time for the announcement of Khalid’s engagement to the real Hafsa. While the love story is the heart of this delightful novel, Jalaluddin also delves into deeper themes, including workplace discrimination, the role of religion in modern society, and the meaning of love and marriage in contemporary culture.