Early praise for Take It Back:
"Riveting, thought-provoking legal thriller... Abdullah is definitely a writer to watch." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Abdullah has done an exemplary job of character development and is especially good at ratcheting up suspense as the trial proceeds." - Booklist, starred review
"A thought-provoking and sparklingly intelligent novel, with the welcome bonus of an unguessable ending." —The Telegraph
Series: Zara Kaleel #1
Jodie Wolf was born with a horrifying facial deformity. Shunned and bullied by classmates, her life as a sixteen year old white girl is one of isolation and loneliness. And yet, she experiences all the emotions typical teenage girls feel including an attraction to a popular muslim boy - although she knows he sees her as a monster. Imagine her surprise when said boy approaches her at a party, convincing her he wants to help her. The devastating events later that night shatter her fragile world, leading to a tsunami of which she later says, "I wish I could take it back". One white girl with a disability and her muslin counselor chasing demons of her own vs. 4 popular muslim boys from hardworking immigrant families - all with solid alibis. It's a case of he said/she said, and the gloves are off. Who will you believe?
Author Kia Abdullah has rendered a stunning, heart wrenching story covering some major issues including race, religion, culture, politics, sexual assault, prejudice and disabilities. Tackling all these issues in one book is a huge undertaking, but Abdullah does so with expertise and care as she maneuvers the minefield of sexual assault among a society that believes women belong in the home. Much of this story plays out through explosive courtroom scenes surrounded by a frenzied media circus - all serving to enrage a highly volatile town torn apart by political, racial and religious views. The drama unfolding is unsettling and yet so real you can smell the sweat, tears, and fear. The author's skillful manipulation of both characters and readers is simply magnificent as the revelations just keep coming.
To say Take It Back is cunning and shocking and heartbreaking is an understatement. The complex, disturbing, and highly compulsive narrative drew me in and kept me burning through pages to get at the truth. Driven by a steadily increasing pace and sense of some unknown, I found myself totally captivated as I devoured page after page, chapter after chapter . . . constantly changing my mind about whose story to believe. When the truth was finally revealed, I sat there in shock. Wow. Never saw that one coming. Well done, Kia Abdullah. I can't wait for book 2! Take It Back is powerful, authentic, eye opening, and in many ways . . . educational. I highly recommend it to fans of courtroom and suspense thrillers.
Synopsis:
One victim.
Four accused.
Who is telling the truth?
Zara Kaleel, one of London's brightest legal minds, shattered the expectations placed on her by her family and forged a brilliant legal career. But her decisions came at a high cost, and now, battling her own demons, she has exchanged her high profile career for a job at a sexual assault center, helping victims who need her the most. Victims like Jodie Wolfe.
When Jodie, a sixteen-year-old girl with facial deformities, accuses four boys in her class of an unthinkable crime, the community is torn apart. After all, these four teenage defendants are from hard-working immigrant families and they all have proven alibis. Even Jodie's best friend doesn't believe her.
But Zara does—and she is determined to fight for Jodie—to find the truth in the face of public outcry. And as issues of sex, race and social justice collide, the most explosive criminal trial of the year builds to a shocking conclusion.
Author Bio
KIA ABDULLAH is an author and travel writer. She has contributed to The Guardian, BBC, Channel 4 News, and The New York Times. Kia currently travels the world as one half of the travel blog Atlas & Boots, which receives over 200,000 views per month.
Twitter @KiaAbdullah
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