East of Hounslow

East of Hounslow by Khurrum Rahman, 352 pages

Javid Qasim (call him Jay, please) is a lazy drug dealer who lives with his mom in a Muslim neighborhood in Hounslow. Yeah, he goes to prayers every Friday, but other than that, he doesn't really hold to the traditions of his faith and he certainly doesn't understand the fundamentalists. But when MI5 gives Jay the chance to get out from under his tough drug supplier and go undercover with those fundamentalists, he takes it, immersing himself in their world and becoming increasingly uncomfortable both with what they're saying and with how much he agrees with them.

I expected this to be a funny, fast-paced story about a drug dealer turned spy. But what I found was a carefully created story about the complexities of life as a Muslim, set against the uneasy backdrop of an undercover mission that involves learning the tricks of the terrorism trade. Rahman doesn't shy away from the atrocities that terrorists have committed, but he also tries to make the reader understand the everyday persecution faced by Muslims in general. And yes, it's still somehow funny. It's a monumental, complex task, and Rahman performs an excellent balancing act.