Playing Games

"Here it is, playing out in front of her eyes - a story about love and marriage, expectation and disappointment, two people wanting different things, just waiting to be written, to be grabbed, daring her to want it enough to try."

Playing Games is about sisters Hana and Mira. They share the same birthday, two years apart. They are polar opposites; Hana has a successful career as a divorce lawyer. She comes across as composed, practical and determined and is married to Samir. Mira, the younger of the two is struggling to make ends meet. Having dropped out of university after their mum died, she works at a cafe and is also attempting to write a play in order to win the coveted Hadley Prize. The relationship between the sisters is strained and formal to a certain extent.

After suffering a miscarriage, Hana is determined to conceive another baby. Samir seems indifferent and is no hurry to become a father. It is Hana's extreme determination to have a baby that leads their relationship becoming fractured - an almost deliberate undoing of a marriage. Mira overhears them arguing one night and this argument becomes the inspiration for the play she begins to write.

Huma Qureshi truly has a way with words that draws the reader completely into the story. She realistically brought out the characters' emotions and vulnerabilities. There were several times when it was frustrating to read about the lack of communication between not only Hana and Samir, but the sisters as well. The complexities of the characters made the story engaging and Playing Games did not disappoint.

This book firstly appeared as a light-hearted and an easy read that follows two main characters down different paths in life. However, very quickly, it was apparent that the book grips the reader quickly and takes them on a journey exploring the unfair and harsh reality of life; including themes such as marriage / sibling and family issues.

I found it fascinating that I was drawn to both main characters. I found myself comparing me to character H who finds herself in a difficult marriage. The constant mood swings H illustrates is so brilliantly written, because I was able to understand why she was acting the way she was, however desperately wishing she were able to open-up more and seek help from others. Would things have ended up differently if she had? I really liked that this novel had me thinking about it while I was doing things throughout the day. I was thinking about the characters, and feeling a variety of emotions for them.

I feel this novel is special because it uses 'every day themes' (such as marriage / relationships / family dramas), which means the reader can put themselves easily in the characters shoes and feel deep emotions and connections. This book certainly grasped me - as it explored issues that the reader can relate to, as well as scenarios that the reader can picture themselves in.

A beautiful piece of work highlighting sisters and their complexities.

As an older sister, I definitely saw myself a lot in this book and found Hana and Mira’s complicated relationship very believable.

I always wonder how writers or creatives can be inspired by real life events and how this might effect people they love, and this book answers that question.

This book not only explores the sister dynamic but the dynamic of a marriage and what happens when one partner wants children but the other does not.

There’s a lot of mention of trying to conceive and a miscarriage so it can be triggering for some people but other than that this is a book that definitely makes you think.