The Ones Who Stayed
Celebrating My Favourite Characters
I am often asked questions like which among my books is my favourite, which is quite a difficult task, considering all the books I’ve written. But a question that I don’t mind answering is which among my characters is my most favourite.
There isn’t just one, though. Off the top of my head, I can come up with at least four. And I thought I would go through them with you, just for fun (and because everyone is celebrating women in March). If you’ve read the books where these characters are featured, please do let me know your thoughts too!
Mariam (The Sum of All my Parts)
Mariam comes across as a grumpy old lady who teaches crochet to a group of wary young women in a small suburb in Vellore. Each of the girls (women) are going through different kinds of messes in their own lives. There’s Nimra, living with a step mother, an indifferent father and a cruel step-sister, who are intent on getting her married off. There’s Arifa, a harried mother whose husband works in Dubai, and she feels that learning crochet is a waste of her time, but yet she comes. There’s Amreen, who is waiting to become a mother and then there’s Shaista, the youngest of them, who has found out that she’s expecting and it’s the last thing she wants. Mariam finds parts of herself in each of them, and then as she teaches them crochet, they learn something about her too. Mariam was fascinating to write because I personally feel that old people are a treasure trove of stories and we tend to just ignore that and move on in our fast paced lives. The girls too are shocked when they learn about Mariam’s past, a man she loved, couldn’t marry, and what happens next forms the rest of the book. I think Mariam is one of my favourite characters, mostly because she’s grumpy. I so identify with that!
Asmara (Asmara’s Summer)
I loved writing Asmara’s Summer back in 2015 because I thought it was an extension of a what-if moment that I had, as I passed by Tannery Road in an auto. I was struck with wondering what if I had to live here? What would I do? It was an extremely classist thought, but I was able to break it down and look at it as the kernel of a story that went on to become a book and which further went on to become a web series on Amazon (Dil, Dosti, Dilemma). Asmara, the character herself, is a bit spoilt but there’s also a lot of love that she feels for her grandmother, and exasperation at how things take place in the real world and how disconnected she is from all of it because of her privilege. Also, I love writing YA because I enjoy exploring the excitement of a new crush, the feelings that the cute boy next door inspires, and all the shenanigans that she gets up to, in just the one month she’s at her Nani’s.
Athiya (Three Times Lucky)
The third book in the Jasmine Villa series features a motor mouth young girl who’s angry at having to get married because of her own mistake (it’s not a mistake as such but anyone who lives in a conservative Muslim family will identify). She’s hot-headed and she hates having to conform and refuses to do that as far as possible. She also falls for the man she marries and confesses her love for him after a rather dramatic moment (where he’s just escaped the rubble of a building collapse) where she tells him that she hates him. I mean, all that angst and melodrama? What’s not to love? Also, she drops the F word with regularity, perplexing her straight-laced and brooding husband who realises that he loves her at just such a moment.
Abir (The Henna Start-up)
I wrote Asmara in 2015, and Abir in 2023. A good eight years between them. And only after writing it did I realise that Abir is the polar opposite of Asmara in every way. She comes from a lower middle class family, is a reverse snob, is focused on her studies and is ambitious.
And she’s angry. So angry.
Abir’s anger comes from not having any agency in her life, but also from observing people like Arsalan and Keerthi having it seemingly easy because of their generational wealth. What I love about her is her determination to not be just another Muslim girl who gets married after college. Mostly, because that was me too, at the same point in my life.
One of the reasons why these are my favourite characters is because through them, I got to live alternative lives, and be other people. They are most certainly the girls I could have been in another life.
In other news, The Henna Start-up has been longlisted for the Auther Awards 2025. I’m so pleased that the book and Abir is making so many strides and walking into the hearts of people. Just goes to show that we certainly need more angry, young women.
That’s it for this month folks! I’ll share news about my memoir in another newsletter shortly and maybe share the preorder link when it goes live. The cover is done and it’s lovely. But I can’t share it here just yet. So, see you guys soon!
Now for the freebies! Who wants?
Thank you for reading! I hope you participate in the poll! I’ll share the results on social media!
Love
Andaleeb