The child of a forbidden marriage, Maha grows up happily with her parents in Cape Town. But her world changes forever when her parents are killed at a political rally, and at the age of eight, Maha is reclaimed by her loving but staid Indian grandparents and taken to live in Durban.

Growing up in the claustrophobia of the suburbs – what she dubs ‘Slumurbia’ – Maha reveals a love for the outrageous as she clashes with the conventions of her community. Charged with keeping her in line – but barely managing – is her older cousin Zeenat, whose lessons about life have been learnt the hard way. With Zeenat’s help and a large dose of humor, Maha weaves dexterously around the strict boundaries of Muslim life, as she immerses herself in friendship, first love, a bit of rebellion and a tantalizing romance (all between prayers, of course). But as Maha enters her twentieth year, she is faced with the ultimate challenge: to find a husband who will forgo perfectly round rotis and let her attend university . . . and he’s got to be cute. With refreshing zest, Maha treats us to the joys and sorrows of her passionate (though sometimes quite vulnerable) young heart, and a life in which she’s not quite in charge.

SUMAYYA LEE was born in April 1970 in Durban, to a Muslim family of Indian origin. After moving as a young children to the UK while her father studied dentistry she returned home to life in a typical extended family, at a time when the family home had already been relocated (due to the South African Group Areas Act) to a newly developing suburb called Westville. After a career as a teacher of young children, and a failed first marriage and life as a single mother, she found her perfect job, teaching English language to adults. While furthering her career by studying and teaching EFL in London, she met the man who is now her husband and the reason she is living in London and finally able to fulfill her dream of writing.