- Paperback: 360 pages
- Publisher: Pan (4 Sep 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0330463152
- ISBN-13: 978-0330463157
- Product Dimensions: 2.5 x 12.7 x 19 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 57,876 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Review
'Lila and Asif care for their young sister Yasmin, but when LIla breaks under the pressure and runs away, Asif has to deal with things along. Unaware of the trouble surrounding her, Yasmin hatches a plan in this beautifullly written book.' --Grazia
'Bittersweet novel of a family in crisis.'
--Woman and Home
' Brilliant!Brilliant!Brilliant!That's all I need to say about this novel,really because I really loved it... Reading this book was like immersing myself in this family's lives - the resentment, the duty, the guilt and the hope for something different.It made me laugh, and pulled at my heartstrings - but ultimately left me with a feeling of understanding and hope long after I turned the last page'
--Bookseller review
`Forced to rely on each other, Asif and Lila can't help by t resent youngest child Yasmin. Can they all ever be happy?' --Woman
`Beautifully written book'
--Grazia
'There are times when you chance upon a book that combines characters so nuanced, flawed and engaging, they virtually jump off the page. And this novel is one such treat... The narratives of three [main characters] swirl around each other in this warm, wonderful portrait of a charmingly atypical family'
--Easy Living
'Yasmin Murphy has Asperger's syndrome and this frank, down-to-earth portrayal of her world is both humorous and poignant' --Waterstone's Books Quarterly
`A tender hearted novel that examines how siblings club together to keep one another afloat. A writer with few pretensions, Farooki is happy to tell it how it is' --Independent
`I absolutely loved the book, as I have both of her previous novels...such great characters painted here, with all sorts of incredible stories, everyone can relate to them...And a wonderful study of Asperger's.'
--BBC Asian Network
'Bittersweet novel of a family in crisis.'
--Woman and Home
' Brilliant!Brilliant!Brilliant!That's all I need to say about this novel,really because I really loved it... Reading this book was like immersing myself in this family's lives - the resentment, the duty, the guilt and the hope for something different.It made me laugh, and pulled at my heartstrings - but ultimately left me with a feeling of understanding and hope long after I turned the last page'
--Bookseller review
`Forced to rely on each other, Asif and Lila can't help by t resent youngest child Yasmin. Can they all ever be happy?' --Woman
`Beautifully written book'
--Grazia
'There are times when you chance upon a book that combines characters so nuanced, flawed and engaging, they virtually jump off the page. And this novel is one such treat... The narratives of three [main characters] swirl around each other in this warm, wonderful portrait of a charmingly atypical family'
--Easy Living
'Yasmin Murphy has Asperger's syndrome and this frank, down-to-earth portrayal of her world is both humorous and poignant' --Waterstone's Books Quarterly
`A tender hearted novel that examines how siblings club together to keep one another afloat. A writer with few pretensions, Farooki is happy to tell it how it is' --Independent
`I absolutely loved the book, as I have both of her previous novels...such great characters painted here, with all sorts of incredible stories, everyone can relate to them...And a wonderful study of Asperger's.'
--BBC Asian Network
Product Description
My name is Yasmin Murphy, and I don't remember very much about the morning that my mum died, which is odd, as normally I remember everything.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I'm a fan of Roopa Farooki's work, and was delighted to find The Way Things Look To Me, her latest novel, in Waterstones before the official release date listed on Amazon; I devoured it in a couple of sittings!
This third novel is her best so far - funny, wise, brave and astonishingly emotionally intense - the action follows three damaged siblings, a brother and his two sisters, across a dramatic London summer, as they cope with the loss of their parents and the youngest sister's Asperger's syndrome. It is full of insights about Autism/Asperger's Syndrome, and the agonies of family relationships and sibling rivalries, as the characters struggle with their feelings of resentment, duty, and love. You really feel their pain, and ultimately their hope.
One of Roopa Farooki's reviews (printed prominently inside the book) describes her as the "new Zadie Smith", but I don't think she needs the comparison - this novel shows her work to be more raw, honest and sincere than Smith's.
I think that The Way Things Look To Me might be the book that finally makes Roopa Farooki as commercially popular as she is critically acclaimed.
This third novel is her best so far - funny, wise, brave and astonishingly emotionally intense - the action follows three damaged siblings, a brother and his two sisters, across a dramatic London summer, as they cope with the loss of their parents and the youngest sister's Asperger's syndrome. It is full of insights about Autism/Asperger's Syndrome, and the agonies of family relationships and sibling rivalries, as the characters struggle with their feelings of resentment, duty, and love. You really feel their pain, and ultimately their hope.
One of Roopa Farooki's reviews (printed prominently inside the book) describes her as the "new Zadie Smith", but I don't think she needs the comparison - this novel shows her work to be more raw, honest and sincere than Smith's.
I think that The Way Things Look To Me might be the book that finally makes Roopa Farooki as commercially popular as she is critically acclaimed.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is Farooki's best book to date and calls for an immediate sequel. It explores complex family relationships and how each of them comes to terms with themselves. It cleverly challenges the external appearance of Lila an ezcema sufferer as well as the inward issues faced by Yasmin an Aspergers sufferer and the burden of responsibility felt by their brother Asif.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There seems to have been a glut of novels recently that have a main character with Aspergers Syndrome and/or synesthesia, Roopa Farooki's lead character in The Way Things Look To Me is Yasmin, a nineteen year old girl who has AS and sees emotions and sounds as colours, or to use the correct term, is synesthetic.
Although Yasmin is the lead character and the plot of the novel centres around her, she actually does not play a big part in the story. It is the effect of Yasmin's AS and her need for structure in her life and how that has affected her siblings that is the central point of the novel.
Asif is Yasmin's brother, and since the death of their parents, her carer. Asif is described by everyone as a 'nice boy', he has given up his Cambridge studies, his love-life and his future to do his duty and care for Yasmin. Lila is Yasmin's sister, a self-confessed bitch who lives in chaos, spends hours scrubbing at her eczema blighted skin so as to appear beautiful and treats men as throw-away commodities.
Yasmin is totally self-absorbed, she doesnt have any comprehension of what effect her behaviours have had on her family, as long as her breakfast is yellow and the order of her day is uninterrupted then she is fine.
When a TV production company start to film a documentary about Yasmin and her gifts, Asif and Lila start to unfold. We see how damaged they are underneath their coping exterior.
This is a well-written and well-researched novel, with some very flawed but very understandable and likeable characters. Asif and Lila are the stars of the novel, even is Yasmin is the central pin.
A very emotional story, but also witty and uplifting and compassionately written. Long-listed for the 2010 Orange Prize but sadly did not make the short list.
Although Yasmin is the lead character and the plot of the novel centres around her, she actually does not play a big part in the story. It is the effect of Yasmin's AS and her need for structure in her life and how that has affected her siblings that is the central point of the novel.
Asif is Yasmin's brother, and since the death of their parents, her carer. Asif is described by everyone as a 'nice boy', he has given up his Cambridge studies, his love-life and his future to do his duty and care for Yasmin. Lila is Yasmin's sister, a self-confessed bitch who lives in chaos, spends hours scrubbing at her eczema blighted skin so as to appear beautiful and treats men as throw-away commodities.
Yasmin is totally self-absorbed, she doesnt have any comprehension of what effect her behaviours have had on her family, as long as her breakfast is yellow and the order of her day is uninterrupted then she is fine.
When a TV production company start to film a documentary about Yasmin and her gifts, Asif and Lila start to unfold. We see how damaged they are underneath their coping exterior.
This is a well-written and well-researched novel, with some very flawed but very understandable and likeable characters. Asif and Lila are the stars of the novel, even is Yasmin is the central pin.
A very emotional story, but also witty and uplifting and compassionately written. Long-listed for the 2010 Orange Prize but sadly did not make the short list.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Loved it
I loved this book and the style of writing and it's really made me think about my own family unit.
I've gone out and bought another 3 of Roopa's books and am really... Read more
I've gone out and bought another 3 of Roopa's books and am really... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Teecee
different from most books I've read
I enjoyed this book. It moved along at a good pace with a nice combination of dialogue and description. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Ms. K. J. Waghorn
The way things look to me
An extraordinarily insightful appraisal of various conditions including Aspergers Syndrome, issues of self harm, family relationships, the dynamics between family members, and... Read more
Published 13 months ago by Ms. Helen K. Lunt
Unfulfilled promise
The rave reviews and interesting outline of this book persuaded me to read it as a potential suggestion for my own book club. Read more
Published 16 months ago by MC
Mildly entertaining, but if you are after any real insight into...
The Way Things Look To Me is a simple story about how a brother and sister cope when the death of their mother forces them to care for their little sister, Yasmin, who has... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Jackie
Sensitive, thought-provoking and gripping
This is a very sensitive yet funny tale of three siblings and their emotional coming of age. Farookhi is a talented writer who conveys complex emotions without ever going over... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Sophia
Thought provoking
I wasn't sure I'd like this book but once in I couldn't get my nose out of it. The story is told from the perspective of each of the three main characters but interweaves... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Ann E
Enjoyable but not enduring
This is a hugely enjoyable read and very compelling. The characters are well drawn though I felt it was a bit of a stereotypical description of Asperger's. Read more
Published on 31 Mar 2010 by Tamara L
Truly Compelling - a must read!
A fantastic book that you just won't want to put down. It explores every emotion possible and is truly compelling - a must read!
Published on 25 Sep 2009 by Nicola Gibbons
Simply brilliant
I have followed Roopa since she was shortlisted for the Orange New Writers Award in 2007 with her first novel, Bitter Sweets & was excitedly waiting for this (her third) one to be... Read more
Published on 4 Sep 2009 by Anna
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