Q&A with the Author

Q: You mention how the idea for The Marriage Clock stemmed from your own experiences. How much of the story would you say is fact and how much is fiction?

A: I would say that the majority of The Marriage Clock is fiction. While there are minor details interspersed throughout the novel from my own life, I would not claim Leila’s journey to be a full reflection of my own. I think the aspect that is most autobiographical is perhaps the range of emotions that Leila experiences throughout her journey—her frustration, disappointment, confusion, and self-doubt. Having Leila grapple with these feelings was incredibly cathartic for me to write because I drew upon precise moments when I felt those same emotions during my own process. However, while the emotional threads of the story can be said to come from a more intimate, personal place, the same cannot be said about the various characters and situations that Leila finds herself in.

Q: In what ways does The Marriage Clock shed light on some of the larger issues existing within the South Asian community?

A: On the surface, The Marriage Clock is a story about modern dating and the difficulties of finding love within an arranged process. And while that alone is a challenge that many South Asian women (and men) face, there are also other, less talked about issues embedded within the culture. Even today, there still exists a preference for lighter-skinned brides; there are still biases and assumptions made about unmarried women over a certain age and negative stigmas attached to women who have been previously married. Yet, since the tone of the book is fairly lighthearted, I didn’t want this information to be presented in a way that was too prescriptive or heavy-handed. However, from a storytelling aspect, I felt it would be impossible for readers to fully comprehend the challenges of Leila and Tania’s struggles without at least touching upon these issues in some way.

Q: Why was it so important for Leila to seek out a love interest who shared her same culture and traditions?

A: I think oftentimes when you have a protagonist who is South Asian or belonging to a nondominant culture, the story revolves around that character falling in love with someone outside of their culture in order to be accepted into dominant society. I didn’t want Leila’s story to perpetuate this narrative by reinforcing the hierarchal binaries between South Asians and their American counterparts. I wanted to show Leila making a conscious decision to be with a South Asian man (even when presented with other options) because I feel it is important to shift this mind-set that nondominant cultures are somehow less than or secondary to white, mainstream culture. Therefore, teasing out Leila’s relationships with Zain and Hisham was especially important because both characters subvert stereotypical perceptions of South Asian men by proving themselves to be equally desirable and viable love interests for Leila.