Muristek
As the Brick Lane author returns with her first novel in a decade, she talks about her ‘catastrophic’ loss of self-confidence, the value of comedy, and critics in the family
Monica Ali, 54, is the author of four novels but best known for her first, Brick Lane (2003), which catapulted her to fame even before it was published, earning her a place on Granta’s best young British novelists list. Love Marriage is her first book for 10 years and a publishing event in its own right: a serious, subtle, hugely entertaining exploration of relationships. At its centre is Yasmin, a doctor from a Bangladeshi family (Ali is of Bangladeshi and English heritage) and her fiance, Joe, a fellow doctor and son of a liberal, middle-class firebrand of a mother. She lives in London with her husband and their two grown-up children.
Why has it taken so long to get this novel written?I went through a time of deciding I wasn’t going to write. I had a total loss of confidence. A healthy dose of self-doubt is good for any writer, but you also have to have self-belief. A total loss of confidence is catastrophic. I found I was depressed when I wasn’t writing and the depression fed into not being able to write – it was a downward spiral.
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