4.5 but this one deserved to be rounded up, especially given the sheer lack of authentic and nuanced portrayals of both muslims and south asians in fiction. all the characters completely won my heart, and i especially loved how flawed and messy and self-contradictory they were. i know i'll be thinking about this really moving and heartbreaking story for a really long time, and i'm so glad i took my time with it.