Sometimes books set in the West only have few characters who are not White, and those characters are limited in their presentation. My book is set in Canada, and it was also important to me that I showcase how much diversity there is within diverse communities. That’s how regular people behave too, and in fact we all cycle between many different ways of being. Some of my characters are foolish, some are wise and kind, others are shallow and misguided. I wanted to write about characters who felt true to life, while also providing a way for readers to laugh at the foibles of others. However, all your women characters are quite strong-willed and forthcoming, a few are breaking stereotypes, while others are reinforcing those stereotypes - Ayesha and her family versus Khalid's mum - could you explain why you wanted to bring out this contrast?Īs a writer, my primary responsibility to readers is to write a story that is entertaining, and authentic. There is something so loving and nurturing about the act of cooking, and I wanted my male lead character to have that quality. I wanted to make Khalid an excellent cook to dismantle stereotypes. In fact, Nani teaches Ayesha and Khalid an important life lesson, while also teaching them how to make delicious parathas. However, AYESHA AT LAST has one excellent female home cook - Nani, Ayesha’s grandmother. It wasn’t until I was married and had children of my own that I tried to learn, from her and my mother-in-law, both of whom are excellent home cooks. Growing up, my mother never really emphasized that I should learn to cook. I assume the rest of the women characters were decent at meals. Only Ayesha, Zareena and Farzana were bad cooks. Most of the women in your story - Ayesha, Farzana, Zareena (and I guess even Ayesha's mum and Hafsa too) are terrible cooks - why did you want your characters to be like this? Was it just on a lighter note or did you want to highlight Khalid's cooking talent?
And of course, I had my share of rishtas when I was younger! Like many of the characters, I have tried to reconcile my identity as an Indian, as a Muslim, as a Canadian. Like Ayesha, I have lived in an extended family, with grandparents and aunts and uncles. Like Khalid, I am a second generation Indian Muslim Canadian. I am asked this question all the time, and I can say that this book is definitely not autobiographical! However the themes within are mined from my own life. Is this to a certain extent an autobiographical account?
0 kommentar(er)
