I was immediately drawn to the beautiful cover of this book. It depicts a veiled Middle Eastern woman with sad eyes shielding her face with her bejewelled arms. How appropriate for this novel about a Pakistani-Muslim woman who loses her husband to the tragic collapse of the World Trade Center.

I love novels that are of the multi-cultural genre. And this book is filled with the flavours and traditions of the Middle East. Abdullah’s writing is lyrical and poetic, with a sad tone that permeates this story told from the first person point of view of the main character Arissa Illahi. With flashbacks, we come to learn of her childhood and marriage to Faizan, the husband she knew for barely two years. She is pregnant when he dies and her pain is compounded with the knowledge that her unborn baby will have multiple birth defects.

The whole story is Arissa’s struggle with losses—her mother’s lack of love throughout her childhood, her husband’s death and his unfinished novel, her child’s disabilities, the age-old traditions of her former country, and her lost dreams. Through her eyes we see what she endures as a Muslim woman in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks—the prejudices, the hatred, the misunderstandings, and her guilt for not wanting to return to Pakistan when Faizan wished it.

Throughout, she voices her frustration and philosophy about death and God. It was clear to me that although she believed in God, she lacked faith in Him and struggled with this, too. Arissa also makes it her project to finish Faizan’s novel, no easy task, even though she is an artist and a writer herself. She keeps her husband alive in her heart and fulfills his dream, making it a lasting legacy.

Although this novel received great reviews, I had mixed feelings about it. Overall, it gave me a glimpse into the life of an immigrant Muslim widow in America, mourning her many losses and the decisions she made to cope with them. Sometimes, I had to put the book down and read something else because the sombreness of it was all encompassing. Besides her painful losses, it saddened me that her Muslim faith did not provide comfort or answers regarding death and tragedies. This book also contained mildly explicit sexual scenes and unmarried sex, which I did not expect from a Muslim author.

Reviewed on 12/12/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Laura Fabiani

In "Saffron Dreams" author Shaila Abdullah gives voice to Arissa Illahi, a Muslim Pakistani-American who loses her husband Faizan in the terror attack on 9/11. Arissa's story begins in Karachi where she is raised by a loving father and an absentee mother. When Arissa's mother moves out, Arissa must fill the void for her younger siblings. In Karachi, Arissa's family is affluent; her father is a doctor. Arranged marriages are a fact of life in Karachi and for Arissa as well.

Arissa tells the story of her marriage to Faizan, their life in New York and his tragic death when the couple are expecting their first child. Hers is a mesmerizing story of love, loss, family, healing and recovery. The book opened my eyes to Pakistani and Muslim customs and how immigrants adjust to life in the United States. In the end, Arissa comes to gripes with herself and her future. I was hoping for a better resolution for Arissa and her mother though.

I recommend this novel to those who would like to get a Muslim-American's view of the aftermath of 9/11.

Reviewed on 11/21/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Darcy Odden

Arissa Illahi is a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, Pakistani, American, and Muslim.  When the United States, and consequentially the world, was rocked by the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Arissa's life is turned upside down.  Her husband, Faizan, was working at a restaurant in one of the towers and lost his life.  Reeling with the loss of her love, Arissa is left struggling and trying to make sense of it all.  She is also pregnant with a baby who is destined to have severe special needs and alone.  She also becomes a victim of prejudice when attacked because she is wearing her veil.  She sheds her veil and goes on a journey of heartbreak and empowerment all the while healing from being abandoned by her mother and building a beautiful relationship with Faizan's parents.  

 Poetic and moving, the story of Arissa Illahi's heartbreak and strength comes alive in Shaila Abdullah's "Saffron Dreams".    This novel is written in a memoir style, taking you deep in to Arissa's heartbreak and inner struggles.  Attempting to bring forth what it must be like to be a victim in so many aspects due to the terrorist attacks.  Imagine what it must be like to be in the shoes of a follower of Allah and have the world blame you for what you yourself is a victim of also.  Shaila Abdullah's book is multifaceted, we are given a treat of reading beautiful words, a moving story and we are also educated at the same time.  Although this is a work of fiction, Arissa's heartbreak is real.  Her experiences are real.  Her struggle with removing her veil and blending in with an America that is reeling and scared.  Her surviving when Faizan did not, her decisions to continue with his novel, and the choices and struggles with raising their special needs son.    I was moved to tears several times during this book, my heart ached for Arissa and I also found myself cheering her on as she and her son found their footing and moved through their lives, never forgetting who they are:  Wife, Mother, Daughter, Son, Pakistani, American and Muslim.  

Shaila Abdullah's "Saffron Dreams" is a must read. 

Reviewed on 08/29/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Jaime Huff

  Writer, Shaila Abdullah, takes you into the life of Arissa Illahi, a Muslim, born into the upper class struggling to find who she is. Abandoned by a mother, who could not find a way to love, hesitant to fall in love herself, until one-day fate intervened.  Meeting an aspiring author, over a stack of books, who turned out to the man of her dreams. Marrying  Faizan, moving to New York, and starting a family, life was starting to come together for  Arissa. Unfortunately, a happy ending was not theirs to have, and one fateful day changed their lives forever. On September 11, 2001, Faizan died in the World Trade Centers. Now, a widow, pregnant with a disabled child, and viewed as an outsider in the land that she now calls home. She decides to take off her veil but keep her culture. Struggling with the challenges of moving to a new city, starting a new job, and raising a child with multiple disabilities. She has also decided to finish Faizan’s novel, breathing life into the characters he created and bring his novel to a close. Slowly, she starts letting go of the anger she held for her mother, and bit by bit letting go of  the man he loves. Willing herself to carry on for the amazing gift that Faizan left, their son Raian. Proving that she is intrepid, and will continue on. 

    Vividly written, with the phrasing  being as bold as the colors Arissa painted with. I could almost smell the jasmine floating through the air, as I lost myself in a different world. With characters as spicy and flavorful as curry, you could not help but to fall in love with each and everyone of them, It was as if you were with Arissa on the emotional rollercoaster that became her life, and felt the strength she finally find. I was elated at every milestone that Raian accomplished and found myself hoping for another, Abdullah has offered readers an inside look into the Muslim culture, and blended it perfectly with the American. 

  “Saffron Dreams” is an ingenious work of art that captures the raw emotions of love, loss, the path of letting go and the one that leads to self discovery. Abdullah wrote that, "presentation, is the key to leaving a lasting impression”. With this book she has accomplished that goal with the beautifully written way in which she tugs at your heartstrings. This will definately be a book I will remember.  Truly a book that should be on every must read list.

Reviewed on 06/29/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Angela Simmons

This year I decided to read mostly foreign authors and multicultural themed books and this week’s selection was a fiction novel, Saffron Dreams by Shaila Abdullah. This book looks at the treatment and lives of Muslims in America after 9/11.

Arissa and Faizan married in Pakistan in a traditional Muslim wedding and were the love of each other’s lives from the beginning. They moved to New York where Faizan worked as a waiter while secretly writing his first novel. After two years of marriage, Arissa finally became pregnant and they were both excited about their first visit to the doctor for an ultrasound. Then, 9/11 happened and Faizan never made it home.

“That’s how God made us, in pairs so we complete each other. And then he snatches one away, I thought, and makes us dispensable mortals. Alone we come, and solo our return.” Pg.101

Shaila Abdullah gives us a clear picture of what it was like to be Muslim and a widow in America after 9/11 through the story of one courageous woman who faces raising a child alone and the possibility of finishing her husband’s novel. She addresses the balancing of cultural traditions with American realities and her writing flows like a river from the first paragraph to the last sentence. Ms. Abdullah provides an accurate and insightful story of love, loss, fear, anger, and finding the strength to survive. This book is a must read for everyone and can provide understanding for those with little experience with other cultures.

Luckily I have had the great pleasure to experience many different cultures, religions, foods and customs and met many wonderful people while traveling and working internationally. I have found many women indicative of the values that Arissa displays in this novel which made this book very personal and identifiable to me. I give this book a big “thumbs up” and can’t wait to read the next novel by Shaila Abdullah.

Reviewed on 06/28/2009 by ReviewTheBook.com Member Rebecca Cox