-Vivek Shraya on “I’m Afraid of Men”
-Uzma Jalaluddin on “Ayesha At Last”
-Rachel Giese on “Boys: What it Means to Become a Man”
-Dogeared: Why Canisia Lubrin goes back to Dionne Brand’s Inventory
-Odd Job: Laurie Gelman on her summer as a fruit seller
-If You Like That…You’ll Love This: Victor Dwyer finds a Canadian companion to “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng
News
LET THE QURAN SPEAK: Uzma Jalaluddin: Journey of a writer!
Uzma Jalaluddin is a mother, teacher, writer, and author of Aysha at last. A book that has recently been optioned for film by a major production house. Today, we talk to her about all she does!
EW: Get an exclusive first look at the buzzy romance Ayesha At Last
At last, American readers can get their first glimpse of Ayesha At Last, Uzma Jalaluddin’s highly anticipated romance coming to shelves next summer.
The novel is a modern retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim community in Toronto. Ayesha is the Lizzie Bennet of the story — a young poet who bristles against her family’s expectations of a young marriage, particularly in light of her flighty cousin Hafsa’s routine rejection of marriage proposals. Ayesha’s world is turned further upside down when she meets Khalid (the Darcy-esque figure of this tale), a smart, handsome man who is exceedingly conservative and judgmental. Khalid’s surprise engagement to Hafsa pushes Ayesha to question everything she believes as she struggles to decide what it is she truly wants out of life and love.
CBC LISTEN: Uzma Jalaluddin on Ayesha At Last
The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers: Uzma Jalaluddin on her debut novel Ayesha At Last
DEADLINE: Pascal Pictures Acquires Uzma Jalaluddin Novel ‘Ayesha At Last’
Amy Pascal’s Pascal Pictures has acquired Ayesha at Last, a Muslim romantic dramedy novel by Uzma Jalaluddin. Eric Fineman and Isabel Siskin will be the execs shepherding it. The novel, which was published in Canada and will debut in the U.S. next year, is a present day retelling of Pride and Prejudice set in a Muslim community in Toronto.
The novel was shopped as interest swelled in Crazy Rich Asians, and it was helped by an appetite to tell a fun story focused on historically underrepresented characters.