Too Soon is a book that I ended up enjoying even though I normally don’t read much contemporary adult fiction. This multi-generational story explores love, ambition, and the things we pass on to our children. Keep reading this book review of Too Soon for my full thoughts.
Summary
Thirty-five-year-old Arabella, a New York theatre director whose dating and career prospects are drying up, is offered an opportunity to direct a risqué cross-dressing interpretation of a Shakespeare classic (that might garner international attention) in the West Bank. Her grandmother, Zoya, plots to make a match between her and Aziz, a Palestinian American doctor volunteering in Gaza. Arabella agrees to meet Aziz since her growing feelings for Yoav, a celebrated Israeli American theatre designer, seem destined for disaster.
Arabella and Aziz’s instant connection reminds Zoya of the passion she once felt for Aziz’s grandfather, a man she desired desperately, even after her father arranged another husband for her. In turn, Zoya would later marry off her youngest daughter, Naya, who aspired to date the Jackson 5 and wasn’t ready to be a wife or mother to Arabella at sixteen. Now that Naya’s children are grown and she’s arrived at an abrupt midlife crossroads, it’s time to settle old scores…
Review
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
Too Soon is perfect for fans of inter-generational storylines. On one hand it explores the economic and political nature of the arts. On the other hand Too Soon examines relationships between mothers and daughters. The pain we inherit and the scars we pass on. These women are stuck between loves, duty and passion. The ways parents fail their children, the moments we remember when we needed their support. Parenthood is by no means a perfect process. It’s about these raw emotions of rage, guilt, resentment, love, and loss.
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We witness the rage inside of her for being denied education, love, and having what we want take from us again and again. How when we are brought up to never trust anyone else, it means we barely trust ourselves. The stories within Too Soon pull at your heartstrings. It also explores what it is like to be forced out, to be dispossessed, and to miss a land we have only known through stories. While I wish there had been a bit more exploration of some of the themes – and a few wriggling threads – in general, this was an enjoyable read that was easy to pick up.
Find Too Soon on Goodreads, Storygraph, Amazon, Bookshop.org, Blackwells, & Libro. fm.