The Newlyweds / Nell Freudenberger / 337 pages

This story is about foreign/American marriage and it is well done.  Amina is from Bangledesh and marries George, an electrical engineer, whom she meets on a dating site online.  Her difficulties in adjusting to the U.S., understanding her husband and adjusting to him and all the overwhelming cultural and religious differences makes one wonder how anyone could succeed in such a marriage.  Her desire is also a typical one:  to bring her parents over as soon as she can.  In her case, there are some very good reasons in terms of safety.  She returns to Bangladesh and through her eyes the reader gets a good look at that culture and the very real difficulty of being torn at leaving.  There are also some very interesting and moving personal problems that really put that book at the top for good.  This is not a "feel good" totally happy ending book.  It is, however, real life.