British Asian lives, in books
24th August, 2007
Gifted
By Nikita Lalwani
Nikita Lalwani's debut novel has just been nominated for the Booker Prize in its longlist.
The book centres around a young Asian girl growing up in Cardiff who is declared a maths genius and finds herself living the life of a 'prodigy' until she hits adolescence and things get confused.
Is the book autobiographical? She says: "The answer is that I was not a maths prodigy but I had a strong longing to be one, in spite of only being moderately decent at mental arithmetic."
"Numbers were definitely semi-mystical to me – tied up with my love of India and the desire to accentuate my difference, and stand out in the playground. I am very lucky that my request to be hot-housed at the age of nine was met with indulgent dismissal, and that my story of tragic maths-love ended there. But does this mean that the novel isn't autobiographical?"
Born in Kota, Rajasthan in 1973 and raised in Cardiff, she now lives in London. She worked at the BBC for several years directing factual television and documentaries. After receiving an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University she turned her attention more fully to writing fiction.
Gifted is her first novel. It has been published by Viking.
Bitter Sweets
By Roopa Farooki
Why is deceit so delicious? Henna's marriage to Ricky-Rashid was achieved through an audacious web of lies as elaborate and brazen as the golden embroidery on her scarlet wedding sari…
Ricky is soon to realise his bride is not in fact who he thought she was. As Ricky and Henna tolerate their loveless marriage of convenience, the way is paved for a future of deception.
Rashid creates a double life: in Bangladesh, he is just Rashid, Henna's hen-pecked husband, but when he is sent to England on business, he makes another life for himself - spinning the web of lies further. Together, however, Rashid and Henna have a daughter, Shona - soon she too has her own secrets to hide.
Bitter Sweets is a debut story about love and the complexities of family deceit, stretching into three generations. Nominated for the Orange Award for New Writers 07 shortlist, it is set in London in the 1980's and 90's.
Author Roopa Farooki was born in Pakistan and brought up in London, working in advertising as Worldwide Account Director for Saatchi & Saatchi and then J Walter Thompson. She now lives in South West France with her husband and young son, where she is renovating an old farmhouse. Bitter Sweets is her first novel.
Published by Pan in Paperback. Media contact: Kate Eshelby
Brideless In Wembley
By Sanjay Suri
"The way Indians were being Indian, someone had to take notes," says the author of his debut book.
Sanjay Suri's 400-page tour of Indian living in Britain began with an unsuccessful search for a wife, but does not end there. It takes readers through a world of marriage melas, of a Punjabi agony aunt, of the mission of Ram, Krishna and Sita down Kingsway, of the supposedly 'untouchable' launching a new religion from London.
The book looks into a world of illegal immigrants, the many Patels within Pateldom, the supposed multiculturalism of Leicester, the many circles that Navratri draws, and among other stories, the dubious ways of some summer gurus.
At first glance it is a sparkling, funny and at times bitter sweet account of an Indian in London in search of a bride, as he trawls the connections and social gatherings through which Indians (in this case Gujarati Hindus) make their matrimonial choices - no longer 'arranged' in the older sense, but 'managed' by the older generation in various subtle ways.
Sanjay Suri is Europe Editor for the Inter Press Service news agency. He contributes to the CNN-IBN television channel and to Outlook, a weekly news magazine published in India. He studied at Stanford University, the University of Delhi and the London School of Economics. He lives in Wembley, north London.
The book is being published by Summersdale. It will be launched at The Nehru Centre on 13th September, 6.30pm.
By Nikita Lalwani
Nikita Lalwani's debut novel has just been nominated for the Booker Prize in its longlist.
The book centres around a young Asian girl growing up in Cardiff who is declared a maths genius and finds herself living the life of a 'prodigy' until she hits adolescence and things get confused.
Is the book autobiographical? She says: "The answer is that I was not a maths prodigy but I had a strong longing to be one, in spite of only being moderately decent at mental arithmetic."
"Numbers were definitely semi-mystical to me – tied up with my love of India and the desire to accentuate my difference, and stand out in the playground. I am very lucky that my request to be hot-housed at the age of nine was met with indulgent dismissal, and that my story of tragic maths-love ended there. But does this mean that the novel isn't autobiographical?"
Born in Kota, Rajasthan in 1973 and raised in Cardiff, she now lives in London. She worked at the BBC for several years directing factual television and documentaries. After receiving an MA in Creative Writing at Bath Spa University she turned her attention more fully to writing fiction.
Gifted is her first novel. It has been published by Viking.
Bitter Sweets
By Roopa Farooki
Why is deceit so delicious? Henna's marriage to Ricky-Rashid was achieved through an audacious web of lies as elaborate and brazen as the golden embroidery on her scarlet wedding sari…Ricky is soon to realise his bride is not in fact who he thought she was. As Ricky and Henna tolerate their loveless marriage of convenience, the way is paved for a future of deception.
Rashid creates a double life: in Bangladesh, he is just Rashid, Henna's hen-pecked husband, but when he is sent to England on business, he makes another life for himself - spinning the web of lies further. Together, however, Rashid and Henna have a daughter, Shona - soon she too has her own secrets to hide.
Bitter Sweets is a debut story about love and the complexities of family deceit, stretching into three generations. Nominated for the Orange Award for New Writers 07 shortlist, it is set in London in the 1980's and 90's.
Author Roopa Farooki was born in Pakistan and brought up in London, working in advertising as Worldwide Account Director for Saatchi & Saatchi and then J Walter Thompson. She now lives in South West France with her husband and young son, where she is renovating an old farmhouse. Bitter Sweets is her first novel.
Published by Pan in Paperback. Media contact: Kate Eshelby
Brideless In Wembley
By Sanjay Suri
"The way Indians were being Indian, someone had to take notes," says the author of his debut book.Sanjay Suri's 400-page tour of Indian living in Britain began with an unsuccessful search for a wife, but does not end there. It takes readers through a world of marriage melas, of a Punjabi agony aunt, of the mission of Ram, Krishna and Sita down Kingsway, of the supposedly 'untouchable' launching a new religion from London.
The book looks into a world of illegal immigrants, the many Patels within Pateldom, the supposed multiculturalism of Leicester, the many circles that Navratri draws, and among other stories, the dubious ways of some summer gurus.
At first glance it is a sparkling, funny and at times bitter sweet account of an Indian in London in search of a bride, as he trawls the connections and social gatherings through which Indians (in this case Gujarati Hindus) make their matrimonial choices - no longer 'arranged' in the older sense, but 'managed' by the older generation in various subtle ways.
Sanjay Suri is Europe Editor for the Inter Press Service news agency. He contributes to the CNN-IBN television channel and to Outlook, a weekly news magazine published in India. He studied at Stanford University, the University of Delhi and the London School of Economics. He lives in Wembley, north London.
The book is being published by Summersdale. It will be launched at The Nehru Centre on 13th September, 6.30pm.
