My Comments

When I started writing the first draft I was 28 and writing from the perspective of someone of my own age who led two lives. The character had a successful career, white girlfriend and baby daughter and lived in London. Once a month he'd return to Leicester and visit his parents who knew nothing about his family at all.

They were busy arranging for him to see various Punjabi girls with a view to marriage. A casual chat with one of my best friends, Penny, led to a change of direction. She suggested writing for teenagers and from that point of view. 'Let me know when you've written some' she said as we left the pub.

Some months later, after we had gone over the new text several times, I signed a contract for Penny to become my agent and Random House took the book on. I never thought that it would be published never mind win awards and create so much interest.

My aim was to write something different, for readers who weren't catered for by the majority of books. I recognised that certain people will always read books but that many of my friends and family were unmoved by traditional literature. When I asked them why they all said the same thing. 'Most of what I read says nothing to me about my life. There's never anything about people like me, things I see'

I wanted to write something fresh and accessible that appealed across cultural lines and ages. I'm just astonished that so many different people have enjoyed the book and that I get letters thanking me for writing the novel. That really means a lot - more than awards even - although it's nice to win them !

I also wanted to get a lot of stuff off my chest - issues from growing up and trying to work out whether I was Asian or English, or both, and balancing family demands with external pressures like friends and youth culture. That, and also to reflect the uniqueness of Leicester as Europe's most multicultural city. Multiculturalism is something of which I am a passionate supporter - I love the way that non-white English people have redefined what it means to come from this country and added their own take on everything from fashion to food to music and film.

We should be proud of that whilst at the same time open and honest about the issues that face us as a community. I wanted to reflect what it felt like to be English and in my shoes - and I think I have succeeded up to a point.

Anyway, enough of the politics - here's a quick synopsis...

 

(Un)arranged Marriage is the story of a Punjabi boy called Manny who doesn't want to go through with the marriage that his father has arranged for him. Set in present day England and partly in the Punjab, it follows Manny from the age of 13 as he tries to balance the demands of his family with his own desires for his future.

The story is an exploration of generation conflict, culture clash and the universal theme of teenagers rebelling against their parents. It looks at arranged or forced marriages from a unique perspective - that of the male - and incorporates issues such as inter ethnic racism, peer pressure, violence and lighter issues around school and first love.

The novel is partly autobiographical with the rest based on the true life experiences of friends and family. It's an insight into an area of British Asian society that is often ignored. Written in the language of it's characters it is an attempt to write something for people who are turned off by traditional literature for young adults and want to read something based in reality.

Will Manny escape his predetermined path and be able to dance to his own tune ? Can he really become the source of shame and embarrassment for his family ?

Read (un)arranged marriage and find out…

'absorbing' - The Observer.

FOR MORE INFO ABOUT THIS BOOK CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW: