[A] wonderfully restrained, shrewdly comic novel . . . Ms. Hasan grants this hero such a complete inner life-and surrounds him with such finely drawn characters-that the very air he breathes seems dense with thoughts and longings . . . There is as much history, then, in this quiet novel as there is in any sweeping epic by Amitav Ghosh. And as much tension-between the fading past and the frenzied present-as there is in Aravind Adiga's 'The White Tiger' . . . Retrograde or not, the quotidian world of Delhi, 'the city on which the apocalypse descends every day,' is conjured up by Ms. Hasan with acuity and palpable affection.

The Wall Street Journal

Erudite and languid … Hasan frequently blends her chronicle of Alif's problems with insightful internal monologues, in which he reflects on the country's history and simmering anti-Muslim sentiments. Hasan's layering of history and personal drama accrues a subtle but undeniable power.

Publishers Weekly

Hasan bitingly dramatizes the increasing religious intolerance brewing in modern India . . . the novel efficiently shows class and religion can make or break a man.

Booklist

Hasan's honest and delicate portrayal of a Muslim community in contemporary Delhi is told through the eyes of a middle-aged teacher whose life is upended after a small outburst. It is an eye-opening story that will move readers with its sharp observations and crafty writing.

Debutiful

A portrait of an individual as well as a nation in transition, History's Angel traces the fading of the secular promise of the Indian nation-and the richness of its multifaith culture-under its current, Hindu nationalist regime, and the growing intolerance in society . . . History's Angel exemplifies and makes a case for the role of literature in preserving the marginal and diverse aspects of a society.

Electric Literature

Hasan's prose is introspective, carefully observed, and imbued with more than what is said . . . [Her] gaze is clear-sighted and unflinching.

Indian Express on A DAY IN THE LIFE