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3.5/5 stars.

"had I really reasoned above so much of my religion, or merely sold out for the path of least resistance?"

The Taqwacores introduces a new concept to me - punk rock alt muslims - and blows me away with some of the themes explored and language used. It's a vast contrast to the sanitised version of religion I grew up with, and the violent version presented in media, sitting in the grey area. It forces the reader and our main character to really consider what religion is and isn't, and reconcile how we live in the gap between: "most of us fall somewhere in that big grey void between.

I enjoyed most of the novel. Yusuf speaking about the amalgamation of South Asian culture and religion and them being so intertwined rung so true to me; "I can't separate spirituality from my family, my heritage, my identity as a South Asian; it's inextricably connected." The novel also spoke about aspects of religion I hadn't considered, and like our main character I had to reconcile differences between what I knew about practicing religion and how expressing spirituality varies person to person. It gave me so much to think about and really ponder about the nuances of Islam.

The last ~30% of the novel included a lot more graphic language than I expected (view spoiler)[and I know I haven't been in uni for a while but I truly don't recall college boys speaking so crudely this much (hide spoiler)] and it felt to veer off-course. Though I know that this was related to Yusuf falling harder into the big grey void, it started to just sound like college boys acting recklessly and was being very repetitive.

I have... mixed feelings about the ending. It felt very sudden, especially since so much of the chapters leading up to it had been repetitive and just uncouth. However, the very aspect of Yusuf admitting that above all else and his shortcomings, he is still a human being, was enough to tie a bow at the end.