Toronto-based author Uzma Jalaluddin will be in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 11 at Octopus Books.

09
Jul

2018

Muslim Canadian Novelist Uzma Jalaluddin will be in Ottawa This Wednesday

Written by Chelby Daigle

Published in News

Toronto-based author Uzma Jalaluddin will be in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 11 at Octopus Books.

Uzma Jalaluddin, a high school teacher, writes Samosas and Maple Syrup, a regular column about modern Muslim life for the Toronto Star. She’s also been a guest on the TV show Cityline, speaking on the Muslim experience. We are lucky that Uzma will be in town to visit the store and read her debut novel, Ayesha at Last on Wednesday, July 11!

“This sweet debut novel ticks all the boxes for one of summer’s best reads: it’s smart, witty, romantic and utterly charming.” - Canadian Living

About the Novel

AYESHA SHAMSI has a lot going on. Her dreams of being a poet have been set aside for a teaching job so she can pay off her debts to her wealthy uncle. She lives with her boisterous Muslim family and is always being reminded that her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, is close to rejecting her one hundredth marriage proposal. Though Ayesha is lonely, she doesn't want an arranged marriage. Then she meets Khalid who is just as smart and handsome as he is conservative and judgmental. She is irritatingly attracted to someone who looks down on her choices and dresses like he belongs in the seventh century.

When a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is announced, Ayesha is torn between how she feels about the straightforward Khalid and his family; and the truth she realizes about herself. But Khalid is also wrestling with what he believes and what he wants. And he just can't get this beautiful, outspoken woman out of his mind.

“Uzma Jalaluddin blazes a brilliant new trail with Ayesha At Last, a captivating romance set in the Muslim community, brimming with humour and heart. You will fall in love with Ayesha and Khalid—an Elizabeth and Darcy for our times.” - Ausma Zehanat Khan, author of A Dangerous Crossing

“How to make the world a better place? Read Uzma Jalaluddin’s Ayesha At Last --a cross-cultural pleasure, a romp, a modern, Muslim sly salute to Pride and Prejudice. The lovely, witty writing is testimony to an excellent eye and ear at work.” - Elinor Lipman, author of On Turpentine Lane and The Inn at Lake Devine

Follow Uzma Jalaluddin on Twitter

https://twitter.com/markhamlibrary/status/1016381650349916161

https://twitter.com/OctopusBooks/status/1016373759685492737

https://twitter.com/festofauthors/status/1015005667357220864

https://twitter.com/cbcbooks/status/1012334804480581632

Chelby Daigle

Chelby Marie Daigle is Muslim Link’s Editor in Chief and Coordinator. Under her direction, Muslim Link adopted its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Policy so that the website strives to reflect the complexity of Muslim communities in Canada. She knows that she fails to do justice to this complexity every day but she will continue to try to improve as she recognizes the frustration of being both marginalized in the mainstream and also marginalized in Muslim communities. As Coordinator, she works to build relationships with Muslim and mainstream organizations and manages the website's social media, event listings, and directories. She organizes regular Muslim Link gatherings. She also works closely with the Publisher to find ways to keep Muslim Link sustainable. Find her on Twitter @ChelbyDaigle