Brick Lane

Nazneen, a Bangladeshi woman, leaves her small village and travels to London, where she is married to a man she’s never met. Cut to 16 years later; they have two children, and Nazneen is trapped in a loveless marriage. Enter Karim, a handsome young textile worker who … well, you see where this is going. This is basically a 19th-century women’s novel that takes place contemporary England. The old-school mores are re-created by the immigrant community, but on the whole, I just kept thinking, “This is the 21st century. Get a divorce, and shack up with the younger man; who’s gonna care?” I mean, some people still care, but I don’t.