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 an Indian 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.
