A short but powerful novel about international aid work, power dynamics of race and culture, the position of women in society, 'belonging' and so many more things. The primary strength of this book is the way it talks about the Aid workers, being both critical and understanding of the human beings behind the work. I read this book so quickly because, though compact, it had so many conversations of importance, so many messages and

When Maya's former coworker, Marc, is accussed of raping a young girl she had known very well and could be seen as her protege (Lele), Maya is sent from the US to resolve the situation in the charity in the fictional African city of Likanni. Her conflicts with her husband at home are contrasted often with the situation in Likanni, and I found myself awed by the depth this book covered through these two worlds.

The ending felt like the perfect way to end the book - messy, in the same messy world the book resides within - nothing is perfect, the world is complicated and confusing and all over the place.

I listened to the audiobook version of this book which was a very good way of getting to read it, but I think any format would work just as well. The narrator did a great job of getting the characters right and I appreciated the pacing a lot.

<i>I received this novel by ECW Press in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily - my views have not been affected.</i>

I enjoyed this read. The novel is about Maya, a humanitarian worker who travels to a fictional African village called Likanni, where her colleague Marc is accused of sexually assaulting a local girl named Lele. Maya is caught in a complex web of conflicting loyalties, cultural differences, ethical dilemmas, and personal temptations. The novel explores the themes of charity, power, colonialism, corruption, and identity.

I had a great time buddy reading WE MEANT WELL by Erum Shazia Hasan! This is the perfect book to discuss and we had such a lively discussion! This short novel is really intense and I read it in chunks. It’s about Maya, who works for a charitable orphanage, and travels from her home in Los Angeles to Likanni to deal with the accusation of her colleague assaulting a local girl. This book jumps right into the story and picks up quickly. I loved the themes explored from the impact of foreign aid, the role of privilege, the saviour complex, power dynamics and how far community extends. I loved how characters were revealed and at the end I thought WOW! This multi layered book challenges your perceptions of these characters and their motivations towards each other. A very thought provoking novel that will stay with me. If you’ve read this one too I’d love to know your thoughts!

I listened to part of this book and the audiobook narrator Rishma Malik Scott was very good.

"We meant well" takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster, navigating the complexities of morality, personal aspirations, and the intricacies of human relationships. Written in Maya's introspective voice, the story delves deep into the heart of a woman torn between her commitment to aid a struggling village and her longing for a picture-perfect life back home in the United States.
The narrative begins with Maya, an experienced NGO worker, being summoned to Likanni, a fictitious village, in Africa, she once devoted herself to helping. Mark, a fellow NGO worker and Lele, the daughter of the village chief, becomes the catalyst for Maya's directive to return and investigate the allegation of Mark's sexual assault of Lele.. The trauma of the incident has left Lele shattered, emotionally and physically. Maya's personal connection with Lele, her witness to the young girl's growth and aspirations, lends a poignant layer of tragedy to the story.
While Maya's empathy and dedication to Likanni are palpable, the story covers her own struggles in Los Angeles, living a seemingly affluent life with her husband and daughter, Maya grapples with suspicions of her husband's infidelity. As she secretly monitors her home via the home cameras, from afar, it underscores the disparity between her external success with her job position and diplomacy and internal turmoil.
The story continues to unravel Maya's internal conflict as she faces the decision of dealing with Mark's alleged crime. Despite her attachment to Likanni, her privileged life in the US beckons her to make a choice. Her decision to terminate Mark's employment is rooted in both her understanding of the volatile situation in the village and her underlying desire to preserve a sense of justice. The pivotal moment captures the essence of Maya's struggle to balance her responsibilities in two vastly different worlds.
Lele's shocking revelation that she wishes to marry Mark further deepens the complexity of the narrative. Maya's anguish reflects the intricacies of her own existence-striving to be a beacon of positive change in Likanni, while confronting her husband's betrayal at home. The climax, where Lele confronts Mark and is severely injured, serves as a potent metaphor for the collision of Maya's worlds.
This book is a thought-provoking exploration of the intricacies of human ambition, empathy and relationships. The story effectively raises questions about the challenges women face in striving for a harmonius balance between their desire to contribute to the greater good and their own personal fulfillments. The narrative's depth and Maya's relatable struggles make it an engrossing read that will resonate with readers far beyond its final pages.

2.5 stars
Wow. I’m really at a loss to review this title. There was so much trauma/PTSD in this book. It was seeped and soaked at every layer. At times, I didn’t know how much of it was intentional— were Maya’s inner thoughts and outer dialogue deliberately chosen to show how toxic the situation is for aid workers and aid receivers alike or did everything just land differently with me than the intention behind the writing? I’m honestly not sure. When we are confronted with allegations of rape, do we believe the victim or question their motives, do we weigh the good/bad from the perpetrator against this one act, how do we speak truth to power, etc? There were so many times where I wasn’t sure where those lines were being drawn by the characters, and their author, so it left me feeling very uncomfortable. And maybe that was the point? We always say that we should believe victims but when the political becomes personal, does the shoe fit on the other foot? Either way, I felt extremely uncomfortable as the book was drawing to its conclusion and then the ending was staggeringly abrupt. That was obviously a deliberate choice by the author but it was a risky gamble that didn’t pay off for me (YMMV).

*Thanks to ECW Press and NetGalley for the advance audiobook copy for review.

4.5⭐️

This novel does a memorable job of portraying the ethical questions and struggles surrounding systems of social and humanitarian aid. Even in the best circumstances, there remain questions of white saviorism. And, since they’re run by human beings, and human beings are inherently flawed, circumstances are not often at their “best.” Privilege and power dynamics and the human desire to connect mixed with a sort of “us” vs “them” built right into systems where the haves bestow their assistance to the have-nots. How can one do the most good while contributing to the least pain? And what happens when someone willfully and knowingly exploits their position and causes further harm?

This story explores all of this and more, as Maya is summoned to delve into an accusation of sexual assault that’s been leveled against one of her colleagues in the aid organization she works for, by one of the younger female villagers who had been assisting them. Maya is dealing with her own demons, and struggling to keep them separate and herself impartial as she investigates.

This is necessarily a messy story that left me unsettled and thinking about it long after I reached the conclusion. I recommend this for anyone willing to move beyond the surface of issues.

Thank you Erum Shazia Hasan, ECW Press Audio, and NetGalley for providing this ALC for review consideration. All opinions expressed are my own.

When Maya gets a frantic phone call from the orphanage she works with in Lacana, A fictional village in Africa Mya makes a mad dash for the airport and arrives while tensions are still high it seems the director Mark is accused of raping a girl named Layla who Maya mentored and helped after Layla badgered her into doing it. Layla is the Chiefs daughter and someone Maya has come to really care about when she arrives in LaCanna She isn’t shocked to see the villagers standing in front of the orphanage glaring at the building and when Sasha her coworker tells her not to go speak to them Maya ignores the advice and does exactly that. Mya lives in LA and has a daughter named Chloe and knows her husband is cheating on her but she must put that drama aside to focus on keeping the peace in the village she has come to love. When she finally talks to Layla she is shocked to hear the remedy the young girl wants and tries to talk her out of it but just like with the tenacity to get Maya to mentor her she is refusing any advice Meijer tries to give. She even second guesses wether Mark is guilty or not but in the end everything will become clear when it does however her frantic race to get there will look like slow motion when compared to her dash to get out. I want to say I enjoyed this book way more than I thought I did something I never do before listening to a book and that is read the reviews and I wish I would not have. People reviewed this book from political aspects to white savior critiques and maybe it does encompass all of that but it is mostly a book about a tragedy that sadly happens in real life and I’m going to be honest and say I did not like Meyer that much and I thought the author over describe the situation and it made the book longer than it needed to be. I also didn’t like that she had nothing good to say about the military but went out of her way to say negative things about Americans being warmongers and I feel the military these days are like the police everyone hates them until they’re needed. This is not a political essay so I will keep all my opinions about white saviors colonialism ATC to myself and say this is a good book that deals with real life issues in Africa and other places I feel as if the book ended in a way where there could be a second one and as much as I dislike Maya and the authors tendency to over describe everything I think I would still read that. I could be wrong but it’s not… I just wanted to say that. I also didn’t like the narrator that much she was OK but I thought her narration was a bit stilted and robotic with no emotions involved but having said that I would still recommend this book is there is way more to life than dislike I want to think ECW Press and Net Galley for my free arc copy please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I realize this story needed a certain delivery, but I struggled with the slow pace and the monotone voice for the first half of the book. Then I was rapt.

Terrific book discussion story, with multiple plot points to discuss. Lots of triggers, but truly a valuable book for illustrating the pros and cons of charity work in third world countries, the struggle to find the truth in a rape accusation case, and balancing work and personal life for women. It's also a eye-opener about the Likani culture, the innate desire to believe in saviors, and the overwhelming generosity of those in abject poverty.

We Meant Well is an important novel, as it sheds light on the ways in which colonialism and white saviorism still exist in our world today. Hasan does an excellent job of exploring these themes through Maya’s narrative. However, the novel also brings to light some of the difficulties faced by people of color when navigating a world that is still dominated by white people and their beliefs about what is “right” and “wrong.” Maya’s journey is an important one, as it shows readers how difficult it can be for people from marginalized backgrounds to challenge those in power and push for change. I do want to note that Maya is difficult to read because she is trying so hard to do what is right, but also really puts her foot in it a lot. She is afforded a lot more grace in this story than her foil is. Despite being a frustrating read at times, the novel encourages readers to think critically about our world, and perhaps take action in their own lives in order to make a positive difference.

A very interesting story which was keep me wondering what’s the main character going to do and how she was going to handle the whole situation with her colleague, Mark. One of those books which keeps you on the toes but in the same time it opens your eyes about people which are volunteering in Africa.

Not last, I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for an ARC in exchange of my honest review.

This one throws you right in, and it had me hooked from the start. It felt SO REAL - I had to look several times to be 100% sure this was not, in fact, an exceptionally done memoir at the start. It's the kind of book where everyone has dimensions, there's no right or wrong, and everyone is just doing the very best that they can with the information they have.

And as it progressed, I’m so very happy to say that it did not lose its intrigue or momentum. DAMN - that was a GREAT book with STELLAR narration.

The dedications at the end were especially endearing to the author. I can’t wait to see what more comes from this beautiful mind. You don't need to read the synopsis, just jump it. You'll enjoy the ride.

This was an interesting story. I was very intrigued as to how the premise would be handled, and I wasn't disappointed (until the end).

I've been listening to the audiobook in my car on the way to work every day/evening, which worked really well with this book. It's the type you can dip in and out of easily. The narrator was VERRRY good. I would definitely listen to something else read by her.

The sexual assault and everything around it wasn't focused on as much as I thought it would be, which is weird to say. The story was driven very much by the protagonist, Maya, who has a lot of unresolved issues (still unresolved by the end). She grows as time goes on, which I really liked to see because she was very much acting as a saviour type to begin with, with loads of internalised ideals and racism. There were loads of loose threads that I would've been interested to see tied up, but I suppose that never really happens in real life anyway.

The ending was very disappointing. It felt rushed (the characters were literally rushing), and it didn't feel satisfying. There wasn't any closure, so I felt as though it was all a bit anticlimactic. I cared about Lele and wanted to see what became of her, for example.

"We Meant Well" by Erum Shazia Hasan is a searing critique of the international development sector. It’s loosely based on real events and delves into the uncomfortable realities of the frequent assaults and abuses of indigenous African women by Western aid workers, which came to light in the 2010s.

The story revolves around Maya, a semi-retired aid worker of South Asian descent, who is ordered to return to an unnamed African country to investigate the sexual assault of one of her indigenous colleagues, (the only non-white aid worker in their charity) by a white, French male colleague..

During her time there, Maya contemplates her complicity in various systems of oppression. The book culminates with Maya needing to make a crucial decision between aligning with the foreign aid worker or supporting her indigenous colleague.

Hasan skillfully portrays the different aspects of white supremacy and white saviorism, which continue to hinder African countries economically and socially. This is a real strength as these critiques are complex but presented in a compelling narrative.

Now onto the few things I didn't like. The protagonist Maya is written pretty unsympathetically. She is an internationally adopted child of white aid workers which adds to the depth of her character. However, she is described as not seeing herself as a south asian person. As being a white person with brown skin (that’s almost a direct quote) and it seemed a bit unnecessary and harmful to those who have already been harmed so badly by the international adoption trade. Adding to this, the only other South Asian aid worker in the story lacked critical examination and was presented as kind, well-meaning and thoughtful of the Black people; she was still treating like a servant. I’m not sure an indigenous African writer would have done the same.

Nonetheless, "We Meant Well" is a valuable novella for those looking to explore the harmful impact of international aid work and how that work upholds systems of white supremacy and capitalism .

Thankyou Netgalley for this digital advanced copy of the audiobook which is released on the 15th August.

The writing was beautiful and thought provoking however I felt like the ideas around the effects of colonialism were half baked and not fully fleshed out .

The end also left much to be desired .

Amazing debut, I was sucked into this book. It builds up well but then ends VERY abruptly, which was jarring and disappointing, but didn’t ruin it. A couple of Maya’s choices later in the book felt surprisingly reckless, but I guess that is true to life- that smart, practical people do things you wouldn’t expect when their personal lives are crumbling or when they are consumed by stress. The result at the end really makes the title resonate.

I love when fiction exposes me to worlds and lifestyles I am unfamiliar with, particularly when authors use their personal experiences to inform the story. This touched so many interesting topics- the cognitive dissonance of well intentioned first worlders involved in NGOs trying to help the suffering of the third world returning to the frivolity and banality of the their real lives, the sense of complicity in a system that perpetuates the status quo rather than fostering real progress, the frustrating dehumanizing limitations of bureaucracy, white saviorism, virtue signaling, how the echoes of colonialism continue to wreak havoc, and so much more but I can’t begin to capture it.

“The need for these charities would disappear if people simply paid their taxes.” Maya’s commentary on the futility of a high end charitable fashion event, the cost of the event, the swag bags, and how all of that could have just been donated directly if they actually cared about the cause, reminded me of the the medical mission trip I went on in med school- a much more humble endeavor, but even then I became uncomfortable with the cost and general futility of it, how I knew a lot more good would have been accomplished if the money for our flights and accommodations had instead been donated directly to the local hospital, public health organizations, or charities. I had never done something that was supposedly for the sake of “doing good” that ultimately felt so self serving, and rather than feeling helpful I felt redundant and vaguely ashamed. That said, while it was not new to me personally, there is value to Americans (especially young people) seeing real poverty in other nations, to gain some perspective.

Overall I really enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

A clear depiction of the life of an aid worker in the developing world, We Meant Well tackles everything from class disparities to infidelity to sexual assault, weaving the tales of the people of Lakanni (a town in a never-disclosed Francophone African country) with the international aid workers who run the local orphanages in said country.

Maya is a 30-something American woman of Bangladeshi origin (she was adopted by a couple from the U.S. when she was a baby). She is married to an older, wealthy white man with whom she shares a daughter. And she knows he cheats on her when she is out of town...

Maya is sent back to Lakanni, where she previously lived for years but now only oversees from afar, in order to address the rape of Lele, a girl who grew up in the community and has been working for the NGO for years. Marc, a higher-up in the NGO, is the man accused of the rape.

Maya digs deep into her experience working in an international setting, what it means to be a mother who travels for work, the relationships she cultivated when she lived overseas which are like no other. As someone who lived and worked in the developing world, so many of Hasan's observations or anecdotes rang true. There are a range of struggles to living and working in a country where one was not raised. There are so many levels of cultural understanding that could go wrong. And there is the unique position of being a woman from the developed world (I hated the use of the term "first-worlder" throughout the book) and the separation from either man or woman in the local community that comes with it.

A solid 4-star read. It was enjoyable, especially the character development. There were parts that were frustrating, but I think that was meant to be part of the tone of the novel.

Absolutely breathtaking in theme and story!

Erum Shazia Hasan has managed to create a debut novel that asks important questions.
How can you help others and maintain their dignity and power and choices? How can inequity in wealth in power ever be mitigated.

In the fictional African country of Likanni, Maya has returned to the home base of her NGO to initiate a probe into the claims that one of her workers in the orphanage administration building raped a local young woman, the daughter of the chief of the village.

Maya is welcomed by the villagers and distrusted by her staff. While she attempts to determine the validity of the incident she grapples with issues she has at home with her husband in California as well as the personal freedom, love and identity she has in Likanni.

Shazia Hasan has tackled questions that all do-gooders ask themselves here and abroad. The story is a page turner and the narration is perfect.

If you have ever questioned your privilege, traveled to far away lands or want to read (or hear!) an amazing page turner, We Meant Well is for you!
#ECWPress #ErumShaziaHasan
#RishmaMalikScott

We Meant Well is an incredibly interesting view that gives an insight into charities and what actually happens in these third world countries. We follow Maya, an aid who manages orphanages in Likanni when one day she gets a call saying her colleague Marc has been accused of raping a girl who works for their office. With no witnesses, or evidence, only Lele's world against Marc; Maya must figure out how to handle things. I thought this storyline was incredibly compelling, although some people may need a trigger warning, and I loved learning about topics I've never even thought of before. This was also fast paced and incredibly detailed I didn't want to put this down and I highly recommend.

This was such an interesting book and I think it’s difficult to rate. We Meant Well it’s a messy read. It’s messy and uncomfortable because it feels very real and we get little answers - but do we want them?

The book follows an NGO worker with a failing marriage, Maya. Her private life is dull and sinking and her NGO is in trouble, her colleague Marc has been accused of sexually assaulting a local girl in Likanni, Lele, where they operate a charitable orphanage. Now she’s sent back to deal with it - not for the good of the community and certainly not for the good of Lele, but to deal with it so the NGO survives and they don’t lose any donors.

It’s a story about social justice, white saviors, colonialism, and how the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Humanitarian aid is rarely altruistic and people who work in this line of work, in certain countries, get used to a certain types of contexts - hunger, disease, poverty. This book really chewed down on how being in this line of work breaks you once, but after a few years, a starving kid is as interesting as a boiled potato. Maya wasn’t necessarily like this, but it was interesting to see how she wouldn’t care about the starving kids unless she knew them, and I guess that’s human and understandable (and probably realistic, I can’t imagine being in her shoes), but it was frustrating to read.

Reaching the end of the book was just infuriating and frustrating. Erum Shazia Hasan deals with the topic in a brilliant matter, she points fingers at the NGO for how they deal with this and she questions the intentions of the alleged victim to lie about what has happened. It raises questions about who has power and control over things, and how those who are ‘helped’ can also misuse what they are given. Again, I think this book makes a very good job of explaining that humanitarian aid and this type of NGO are good and do a lot of good, but altruism is just a word, not something that can be used to make (or get) money.

Many thanks to NetGalley and ECW Press Audio for the free audio book in exchange for my honest review. This was narrated by Rishma Malik Scott who did an exceptional job!!

Wow. This is a clever book that gives you an interesting insight into the world of charities that are helping in third world countries. Loved this!

This is a character driven novel that follows Maya, an aid working that manages orphanages in the third world country of Likanni. She gets a call in the middle of the night that her colleague, Marc, has been accused of raping a local girl in Likanni, who works for the office there with Marc and the other workers. The accuser is Lele, her former protégé and the chief’s daughter. There are no witnesses, no proof of any crime and as part of the culture, there is no exam or DNA evidence. Just Lele's word of what happened.

This is a fascinating look into the life of first world workers dealing with third world people and the issues that arise. The pacing is fast, the characters are well developed and I felt like I was seeing the details behind the scenes as to how things actually work. Loved this and loved the ending!!

Highly recommend!!!