A Pure Heart

Exquisite… . does a remarkable job of bringing troubling realities to light, and life. - Vanity Fair

Remarkable … poised, intelligent, very grown-up writing, equally at home in all its environments. - Guardian

A timely, sweeping tale that examines the intersection of fate and choice, the pull of culture and identity, family and love … Beautifully written. - Boston Globe

Hassib is a perceptive writer with a real understanding of how people act - not how they ought to act … a novel that’s as honest as it is engrossing. - NPR

Hassib … articulates the full-bodied chorus of Egypt’s voices … dismantling stereotypes of her country and culture. In so doing she exposes mankind’s best and worst qualities, our universalities and differences, illuminating all the while the myriad ways in which a heart can be pure. - New York Times

Hassib’s novel shines as one of the finest explorations of identity, religion, and culture in modern American literature. Her background leaves her particularly well situated to develop these themes … brilliantly illuminates the complications of our world: the clash of religious beliefs, the uneven division of wealth, our classist snobbery, the failure of our best intentions. Yet the story is not simply an examination of problems. It is also a fervent illustration of the strength and beauty of familial bonds, ties that persist even after death. - Southern Literary Review

Characters are deeply woven and veiled in their own facades … a stellar entry into the world’s library. - Irish Examiner

A profound and deeply affecting examination of fate and free will, family and identity, sin and redemption, and the unique bond between sisters. - Buzzfeed, ‘Summer Books to Be Excited About’