Book Review: “Unbecoming” by Seema Yasmin

Book Review: “Unbecoming” by Seema Yasmin (2024)

Genre: YA, Contemporary Fiction, LGBT

Page Length: 352 pages (hardcover edition)

Synopsis:

In a not-too-distant America, abortions are prosecuted and the right to choose is no longer an option. But best friends Laylah and Noor want to change the world. After graduating high school, they’ll become an OBGYN and a journalist, but in the meantime, they’re working on an illegal guide to abortion in Texas.

In response to the unfair laws, underground networks of clinics have sprung up, but the good fight has gotten even more precarious as it becomes harder to secure safe medication and supplies. Both Layla and Noor are passionate about getting their guide completed so it can help those in need, but Laylah treats their project with an urgency Noor doesn’t understand—that may have something to do with the strange goings-on between their mosque and a local politician.

Fighting for what they believe in may involve even more obstacles than they bargained for, but the two best friends will continue as they always together.

Review:

What a powerful and timely novel! I appreciated the larger conversation of reproductive rights and bringing awareness to the difficulties being faced in today’s society. Yasmin’s background as a medical/health professional is so helpful, bringing further clarity to this issue even for myself. This novel discusses the topic of pregnancy, abortion, and having a choice among obstacles faced especially within the setting of Texas. I thought I would never see the day that Roe v Wade would be overturned.

Told in alternating chapters between Laylah and Noor, their perspectives offer two similar but different views on the topic especially because of their situations. The book is thoughtfully written with what’s happening in current news and also captures the grim reality of those seeking reproductive care. Though the novel has a serious tone, there are some light-hearted moments within the story such as the inclusion of Bollywood-style musical interludes to showcase Laylah’s predicament and the feelings surrounding what she is going through. I felt this helped to balance some of the heavy tension in the plot as well gives clarity to how dire the situations some of the characters are faced with.

I feel this novel is a necessary read not only because of its conversation around reproductive rights but also how the history of these rights become intertwined on a global scale. The truth isn’t pretty and I feel like this novel will truly educate its intended audience. I felt all of the characters were realistic and fleshed out as each one goes through their own journey. This is an engrossing and important YA novel that readers should add to their TBR.

*Trigger Warnings: Abortion, Racism, Sexism

Final Verdict: