Sloane Crosley, author of three essay collections and one novel, The Clasp (2015), is a force to be reckoned with, especially when writing about the romantic lives of thirty-somethings in New York City.

The 384-page novel is a bold, sweeping book featuring broad themes such as politics, sexuality, mixed-race marriage, and a dysfunctional family. Ahmed’s prose is imaginative and poetic, bringing readers into a week in the life of the Hussein women, comprised of sisters Seema and Tahera and mother, Nafeesa.