Salma El-Wardany

A razor‑sharp debut novel of three Muslim best friends navigating love, sex, and the contradictions of being a woman of faith in today's world, for readers of Normal People and Queenie. It’s always been Malak, Kees, and Jenna against the world. Under the watchful eyes of their parents, and countless aunties and uncles, they have learned how to live their own lives alongside faith, tradition, and expectations. Staying over at a boyfriend's is disguised as a sleepover with girlfriends, hangovers can easily look like the flu, and tiredness can be blamed on studying, not partying. Malak has always wanted the whole package: for her partner, family, and faith to coexist happily, and she wants this dream so much she's willing to break her own heart to get it. Kees is in love with Harry, a white Catholic man who her family can never know about. When he proposes, she has to decide if her future happiness is worth leaving the life she knows and family she loves. Jenna is popular and smart but plagued by a sense of loneliness she doesn't know how to shake. At least these three women always have each other. But as their university years come to a close, one night changes everything. When harsh truths are revealed, their lives begin to take different paths. As they learn to navigate the dreams and disappointments of adulthood alone, nothing seems to be going right. Malak feels adrift in her new life in Cairo, while Kees's life and family implodes, and Jenna has suddenly decided to settle for a man she doesn't love. Written with pitch‑perfect precision, and a sharp millennial voice, These Impossible Things is a paean to female friendship, a shared love that is as messy as it is affirming. Malak, Kees, and Jenna—now on the precipice of true adulthood—must find a way back to each other as they reconcile faith, family, and tradition with their own needs and desires.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany

Join the club

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
These Impossible Things by Salma El-Wardany