“The best piece of advice I’ve ever received is that if you don’t see the type of books you’d like to read, write them yourself,” said the Auburn resident who has just self-published her debut novel, ‘Life after Ali’.
It’s the story of Tasneem Zain, an Indian migrant who loses her husband Ali without warning.
Overnight, she becomes an outsider and is considered ‘bad luck’ by her conservative community.
While struggling to come to terms with her loss, she starts searching for a new identity. Who is she and what does she want? She doesn’t realise that life has something unexpected in store.
“The story is inspired by a true event in my family and how I’ve seen widows being treated in certain communities,” Rashida said.
“I wanted to shine a light on this issue that a woman’s life isn’t over just because her husband dies. She has a right to start over if that’s what she wants.”
Rashida self-published the book because she didn’t want her story altered to fit mainstream expectations.
“I wanted to bring out the cultural nuances that often get lost in translation so readers can fully experience what Tasneem’s character goes through,” she said.
‘Life after Ali’ is available as an ebook and paperback on Amazon.com.au, Kobo, Booktopia and Google Play for $10.99 and $18 respectively.
