The Secret Diary of a Broody Bengali

Book excerpt: First comes love... then comes marriage... now the nosey aunties are asking when I’m going to have a baby. In this laugh-out-loud, heartwarming romantic comedy, our strong female protagonist - a British Bengali girl - is contemplating starting a family. But with a blossoming career and a transient life away from family, is she truly ready for the life changing journey of becoming a mum? The meddling aunties, competitive cousins, and her adorable, yet overbearing, mother all have something to say about it. As the community chimes in with unsolicited opinions, our heroine must navigate the noise while staying true to herself. Set against the backdrop of a vibrant and culturally rich community, this romcom delves into the themes of family, identity, diversity and belonging. Through laughter, love, and acerbic, glass half empty pessimism, our endearing heroine embarks on a journey of self-discovery and self love. Blending her signature humour with bags of emotion, Halima Khatun’s The Secret Diary of a Broody Bengali is an unputdownable tale that will have you eagerly turning the pages, desperate for just one more chapter. About the author Halima Khatun is a former journalist (having worked for ITV and the BBC), writer and PR consultant. Since she was a child, she knew that words would be her thing. With a lifelong passion for writing, Halima wrote her first novel - a coming-of-age children's story - at the age of 12. It was politely turned down by all the major publishing houses. However, proving that writing was indeed her forte, Halima went on to study English and journalism and was one of just four people in the UK to be granted a BBC scholarship during her postgraduate studies. She has since written for a number of publications including the HuffPost and Yahoo! Style, and has been featured in the Express, Metro and other national publications. Halima also blogs on lifestyle, food and travel and parenthood on halimabobs.com. You can find her books and more on halimakhatun.co.uk.