If you're interested in comedy and romance, then check out Priyanka Taslim's book, "Always Be My Bibi."
What was your inspiration behind your most recent book?
Some things that inspired "Always Be My Bibi" are:
A. My visit to a tea garden in Bangladesh, which led to me wanting to set a transportative, "Crazy Rich Asians-esque" book there, because it was so beautiful and there have been so few books that take place in Bangladesh by non-Bengali publishers. Most western media about Bangladesh tends to be negative. There will be offhand mentions of sweatshops or how the women there aren’t pretty — things of that insidious nature, usually in media where the majority of characters are white and there are no South Asians, much less Bangladeshis, present. If there is a shot of Bangladesh in something, it’ll get a yellow filter slapped over it. The country is far from perfect, and "Always Be My Bibi" discusses some of the unpleasant treatment of tea laborers on an otherwise swanky tea resort, but I wanted to show it from a different angle too. Its rich history, its ethereal destinations, how the people there are just people like everyone else, who deserve happily ever afters.
B. Classic ‘90s and early ‘00s teen romcoms like "Clueless" and "10 Things I Hate About You" with larger than life, quirky characters who make you crack up and swoon in equal measure—but with a brown girl at the helm. Those romcoms always have such iconic casts, lines, and wardrobes, so I wanted that for "Always Be My Bibi" as well.
What does Reading Rainbow mean to you?
As an educator and author, it means uplifting stories that feature LGBTQ characters, so that underrepresented readers can find books that resonate with them. I know that representation can go a long way in saving a reader’s life when they are feeling alienated by an unkind society, because stories let them know that a world where they are accepted is possible. Books also humanize them and teach those who don’t share their experiences how to have more empathy.
Although my books sometimes feature LGBTQ side characters in an effort to highlight the wonderfully diverse world I myself live in — "Always Be My Bibi" does not, but my debut, "The Love Match," did, and so will what’s probably my next book, "From Mumbai, with Love" — I try my best to seek out books by authors who portray their lived experiences, especially if those experiences are intersectional. Some of my favorite queer YA authors are Adiba Jaigirdar, Ashley Shuttleworth, Lyla Lee, Brian D. Kennedy, Edward Underhill, June C.L. Tan, Terry J. Benton-Walker, Jenna Miller, Aaron Aceves, Racquel Marie, James Ramos, Jonny Garza Villa, Kamilah Cole, Trang Thanh Tran — honestly, I could go on! The authors are out there, but as in the case of all marginalized authors, especially in our current political landscape, they need as much support as possible.
Why do you feel representation of a variety of people is so important when it comes to writing books?
As mentioned above, I think reading is an exercise in empathy. Especially now, when books by marginalized authors are under attack, we can see how dangerous the mere existence of BIPOC, LGBTQ people, disabled people, and other minority populations are to those in power. If someone reads about a protagonist with a different life experience than theirs, they may be forced to reconcile with that person’s humanity, to contend with how they are similar in so many ways when they look past the surface-level differences that scare them, and that has the potential to change that reader’s perspective. It’s so much easier to keep people weak by creating divisions and that’s why books that encourage empathy and shared humanity are so threatening.
On top of that, I just want to tell stories that make readers feel welcome. I have friends of all kinds, friends who are not cis, not straight, not white, not able-bodied. I want to live in a world where they get to be happy, but if that isn’t always possible in reality, I want to contribute to literature they can escape into, letting them know they can at least feel safe with me.
Some people don’t like that. While the overwhelming response from readers, Muslim, South Asian, or otherwise, was positive, I got a bit of backlash regarding my first book because some were unhappy I would include queer side characters in a book with a technically Muslim heroine. To them, I say, I unfortunately might not be the author for you…and that’s okay. I’m just not someone who is going to be hateful about others living their own lives in ways that do not hurt anyone else.
While my books do tend to have Muslim characters and I hope Muslim readers will resonate with the experiences of my characters, I rarely focus on religion as a theme in a grand way. More religious characters may have good relationships with their faith, but they are usually side characters, and my protagonists are not perfect Muslims or necessarily striving to be within the narrative. In short — I write kissing books and do not market them as halal romances. My relationship to my faith is positive, but personal, not something I mine too much from while writing. Instead, I focus more on Bengali culture, and the truth is that I know a lot of queer Bengali people in real life, with varying relationships to their faith. This includes people my readers’ age, especially after "The Love Match." Nervous readers, many of them young, will read my book and ask me if I’m really okay with queer people existing. When I tell them I am, no matter how much it might upset someone else, I can see their eyes soften as the tension melts off their shoulders. They’ll then tell me, a veritable stranger, about their experiences, how hard things have been, how they often don’t feel accepted and are scared to come out to their loved ones. Although being queer isn’t a major theme in my work either, I write for these readers too. I write in a way that reflects the world we all live in. While I hope all marginalized readers find representation that makes them happy, I’m going to keep writing what fulfills me. If it doesn’t do the same for a particular reader, I wish them the best in seeking out what does, but I’m always going to lean toward inclusive casts that mirror the world I hope to contribute to creating.
My debut, "The Love Match," is set in my very diverse hometown, Paterson, New Jersey, and I did my best to capture its vibrancy. The main cast is predominantly Bangladeshi, but there are prominent Pakistani and Dominican-Haitian side characters and minor characters of other backgrounds. Two of Bibi’s brown girl gang, what she calls her best friends, are in a sapphic relationship. The final member is a hijabi girl. In "Always Be My Bibi," you basically have an all Bangladeshi cast (diaspora or otherwise) because the book takes place in Bangladesh, but characters of other backgrounds are mentioned as well, including some disabled characters. Bibi and Sohel aren’t very religious, but their older siblings’ halal love story is the backdrop to theirs. There is also a good amount of focus on what life is like for side characters who belong to what are known as “tea tribes,” who work on tea estates like the one the book takes place on. That plot line is very important to the backstory of Bibi’s dreamy love interest, Sohel, second son of the estate’s owner. It’s inevitable that I’ll have some disappointed readers on my hands again — perhaps even some who enjoyed my debut and wish I included queer characters in this book too — but I never regret populating my books with inclusive casts, because my heart always soars when readers tell me how much that meant to them. Although books with all POC casts like mine are underdogs in an industry that conflates palatability and marketability with being white, I’m fortunate to say that I got far more support than opposition from those who picked up my debut and I hope that’ll keep being the case.
Tell us a little more about the book and why you decided to write it.
"Always Be My Bibi" stars a bratty Bangladeshi-American fashionista who jets off to a glamorous tea resort for her sister’s Big Fat Bengali Wedding. When she gets there and meets her sweet sister’s stuck up in-laws-to-be, especially the groom’s sanctimonious (and unfairly attractive) younger brother, she starts to suspect that maybe it’s not such a good match — and she’s not alone. Bibi and the groom’s brother, Sohel, decide to team up to sabotage the wedding…except a romance of their own might brew in the process.
I wanted to write a book that transports readers to an ethereal setting that they probably don’t know much about: Bangladesh. I wanted to center a Bangladeshi couple in an adorable love story. I wanted to evoke the feeling of a classic teen romcom, because it makes me sad that teens these days don’t get as many anymore. A lot of modern media centering teens is grim, and usually, while it may have teenagers as its face, the intended audience is actually adults. What I’ve noticed happening because of this is that teens are either seeking out old media (my 16-year-old cousin confirmed she’s watched both "Clueless" and "10 Things I Hate About You," which are referenced in the book) or they’re straying toward adult media that may not always be suitable for them OR they just don’t read/watch things anymore in favor of short video content. I wanted to write something for teenagers like my own students.
What can fans expect from your book?
I mentioned some serious topics above, but at its heart, "Always Be My Bibi" is a hilarious, fun, and romantic romcom, a la the kind from the ‘90s and early ‘00s. There are lots of tropes, subverted or not, nodding to classic English language romcoms, but also Bollywood/South Asian romcoms and even Kdramas. Bibi is my most voice-y and funny heroine, constantly dropping fashion references while flexing a wardrobe that would make Elle Woods jealous (or, more likely, they’d be BFFs). Sohel is broody and serious about improving conditions at the tea garden, but he opens up like a (prickly) flower when he’s around Bibi. I like to say, instead of enemies to lovers, Bibi and Sohel are more like annoyances to lovers, getting to know each other better and better as the universe keeps throwing them together.
First, she’s punished by her dad and is forced to work on the estate with Sohel, then he gets roped into chaperoning some blind dates she goes on (even having some epistolary exchanges about her prospects), and then of course they decide to scheme over how to break their siblings up — not to mention that they try to solve a mystery as well. You get subtle homages to things like Roman Holiday and Jane Austen novels and adaptations. It has new money/old money tensions, which are always fun in a romance. On top of all that, I simply can’t write a book that doesn’t have strong platonic bonds, so Bibi’s relationships with her family and the Tea Garden Girls will feature almost as prominently as her romance with Sohel. If you’re in the venn diagram of people who love "Clueless," but also "Crazy Rich Asians," XO, Kitty, and the vibes of the second couple in Bollywood’s K3G, this book will be your cup of tea (pun absolutely intended)!
What's up next for you in the bookish world?
My next book, "From Mumbai, with Love," is my first book outside of the YA space and my first not-quite-romance — by which I mean, it has a good amount of romance, but it’s not about that as much as my preceding books have been, even though it has some things in common with "Always Be My Bibi" on the surface (both heroines are Bengali-Americans who love fashion, traveling to South Asia for a sister’s wedding). "From Mumbai, with Love" follows a young woman who takes a DNA test after the devastating loss of her mother and discovers that the estranged father her mother never spoke of is not only still alive, but is the chairman of a huge company, trying to pick an heir among his prodigal children, the heroine’s half-siblings. The book is primarily about her trying to find her place in this family and Mumbai high society, but at the same time, she’s torn between two enigmatic, very dashing men — all while still grieving her mother and trying to unearth more of her secrets. It’s fun and transportative, like "Always Be My Bibi," but if I had to classify it, I’d call it a commercial family drama, like "Crazy Rich Asians" meets "Succession" with a heaping spoonful of "Princess Diaries."
One aspect your readers might take a special interest in is the heroine’s dynamic with her newfound younger brother. He is actually the first member of the family she meets, the first she loves: a young man who had a pretty traumatic and public outing back in India and moved to America in the aftermath, where he takes the DNA test himself because he’s so lonely. While he is a side character, he is a huge foil for the heroine, because they are both alienated by their family (for different reasons) and trying desperately to belong. He and his relationship with the main character are very precious to me, especially in the current climate of our world, where people are becoming more cruel to anyone different. I’ll hopefully be giving him a romantic subplot of his own within the book. Readers who were fond of Dani and Ximena in "The Love Match" will probably like him too.
