‘Ten Steps To Us’ By Attiya Khan Book Review

Reviewed by Liz Squires

“Ten Steps To Us” is a story of events that nearly every young girl goes through when she transitions from a girl in to a young woman, however, not all young girls are devoted to a religion that forbids them from having contact with members of the opposite sex let alone considering sex before marriage. Not every young girl has the conflict of an Eastern culture being raised in a Western world. Aisha Rashid is a devout Muslim and she takes her faith very seriously. She knows her faith is a huge part of her identity and when a Western boy takes a romantic interest in her she is caught between two worlds that couldn’t be further away from each other. Like many relatable experiences Aisha is a 16-year-old girl who is still exploring her identity and where she belongs in her community and her society. Caught between pleasing her parents, staying true to her faith and fulfilling her own dreams she discovers that meeting Darren will turn her world upside down and she finds herself battling her conscience and her heart.

She falls in love with Darren and finds herself in a position of crisis. Is this the right thing to do? An unforeseen set of events leads her to challenge her belief system and how the people she loves the most can make decisions for their loved ones that put them in harms way. She begins to question her faith and what it means to her. Questioning the sacrifices that are made by the women in her family to satisfy the demands of the matriarchy and patriarchy in the name of faith. Designing the ten steps to happiness is the only way Aisha and Darren can have their happy ever after.

In this Teen to Young Adult publication; author Attiya Khan addresses misconceptions of the belief system of Islam and attempts to break down current western perceptions of Muslim girls growing up in the UK. She addresses friendship dynamics of teenage girls and explores the unspoken toxicity of some peer relationships. Attiya articulates the soul-destroying physicality of falling in love for the first time and bravery it takes to face intense loss when it all goes wrong. I remember all too well when I fell in love for the first time, I was forbidden from seeing him and I too felt like the world had stopped spinning and my heart was going to turn to stone forever. Even in my 30s aspects of this book is relatable despite the differences, the emotion runs from one culture to another. Love and pain is a language we can all speak and all relate to.

Attiya discusses Aisha’s first sexual encounter in an attentive and empathetic way, the understandable anxiety that every girl goes through when she makes such an important decision with a boy she loves and the conflict that runs through her head when she considers her faith and whether or not she is making the right choice for her. I haven’t seen much cultural inclusion or diversity in writing and I think it’s really positive and important that these publications are released and recognised. They show that regardless of race or religion we are all people, and we all go through the same trials and tribulations and experience the same anxieties and challenges when falling in love. I don’t want to say we experience the same trials when growing up but I won’t because there is a clear oppression of culture and diversity within the western world and members of the western culture can be cruel and intolerant. It’s a breath of fresh air to read a publication that clearly depicts the reality of other cultures and religions and the struggles individuals have within them. I know I personally do not have enough cultural diversity on my bookshelf and I will endeavour to rectify that.

The story is left on an intense cliff hanger and I must admit I desperately want to know more, but I suppose I will have to eagerly await the next book to find out what happens. Thank you to Attiya Khan for creating such a beautifully curated piece of work that depicts real life in such a creative way.
The book is available in paperback, Ebook and international distribution.

For further information please visit: https://www.hashtagblak.co.uk/attiyah-khan

Price is £8.99 and can be purchased from Hashtag Press here.