cover image Fashionably Late

Fashionably Late

Nadine Dajani. Forge, $19.99 (394pp) ISBN 978-0-7653-1742-1

Plucky, 20-something, Lebanese-Canadian Aline Hallaby has a promising career at one of Montreal's ""Big Four"" accounting firms; a marriage proposal from her nice (if unexciting) boyfriend; and a closet filled with Cavalli, Chloe, and Christian Louboutin. When she fails her final professional certification exam, the once-dutiful Arab girl plunges headlong into a quarter-life crisis, fleeing to Cuba for a week of heady rebellion (mojitos, men, participation in a beauty pageant) with her two closest friends. There, Ali is forced to decide if she will continue to live according to the expectations of her traditional Muslim parents, or chase her own dreams. The question of how Ali should live is a provocative one, and Dajani's wit, warmth and insight shine through in turning over its nuances, but there are few surprises to be found in how Ali answers it.