5 Questions with Saman Shad
Saman Shad is a writer, editor, journalist and teller of stories. Much of her work is inspired by her experiences as a third culture kid, growing up and living in Pakistan, the Middle East, the UK and Australia.
Her writing credits span mediums, including radio scriptwriting for the BBC in the UK and the ABC in Australia, and playwriting, with works commissioned by theatres across London and Sydney. She is a regular writer for several publications, including the Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald and SBS. She has also worked on screen projects, including developing the feature film One of Us with funding from Screen Australia. She is currently working as a screenwriter on a number of upcoming projects.
Saman is a proud mum of three children and lives with them and her husband in Sydney.
No.1
In The Sex Lives of Married Women you move away from the romance genre. What drew you to that?
I wanted to extend myself as a writer and explore more of the darker and dramatic tensions between couples, especially exploring the theme of when you meet your partner in your 20s but find as you grow older that you are both not moving in the same direction. There may not be the traditional “happily ever after” in this book as romance readers may expect from that genre, but the characters still move forward in a positive direction which hopefully draws readers who like romance to this new novel.
No.2
Your novels often go against conventions, in the sense that your desi characters tend to go against what is expected of them. In your debut The Matchmaker, the protagonist helps to arrange marriages, but not in the way it’s done in the old country. In The Sex Lives of Married Women, Meena escapes from her “model minority” family and Rani does something rebellious she isn’t supposed to. Can you speak more to this?
I want to shake up the conventional narrative when it comes to migrants. It’s important to me to show that even if you come from a certain cultural background that you are not all expected to act the same. We are not all one big monolith. We are as diverse as any Australian mainstream community. I also wanted to show people from within our cultures that sometimes we end up falling into certain stereotypes—such as the “model minority” —and perhaps that’s not the only way to be a migrant in Australia. You can mess up and it’s okay.
No.3
Two years ago, we spoke about your debut in this same column where you said, “There was no cultural visibility of desi characters in the Australian media landscape when I was growing up, and there still hardly is.” Do you still feel this? And, in this context, what types of feedback have you gotten about your book(s)?
Yes, it’s still the same! I was hoping it would change but change, especially when it comes to mainstream publishing, is slow. Ultimately publishing is a business and for books like mine, we need to see the buying public get behind us so that authors writing about diverse communities can keep getting published. Otherwise it is deemed there isn’t a market for our books. In terms of feedback it’s been so incredibly positive which, as any writer will tell you, is a huge relief. I’ve received wonderful reviews and I’m lucky to get heartwarming emails and DMs from readers. Honestly at times it’s what keeps me going.
No.4
Who and what inspires your writing?
My family always. Knowing they are behind me and supporting me especially when I have so much on my plate is what inspires me to keep going. And this drive to write is something I can’t shake—I need to write and that is why I do it.
No.5
There is the widespread belief especially amongst literary circles or so-called “serious readers” that romance is a trashy genre. What would you say to that?
I want you to read one of my books and then tell me you still believe that.
Find out more
Escaping her ‘model migrant’ family life in Australia, Meena flourished in London. After falling pregnant, she and her boyfriend, Owen, fall in love with baby Sasha and bravely head to Sydney. But now Owen barely looks at Meena.
On a backpacking holiday, Sophie meets Todd. After a whirlwind romance she throws in her rising career in New York and follows Todd to Sydney, where she has committed to being the perfect wife, mother, and BFF to Meena. But now Todd’s talking about a treechange, and Sophie’s not sure if the life she built is the one she wants.
Rani came to Australia as an international student and met her husband Daniyal. But raising her son Ali while navigating her husband’s late nights has left her lonely. A simple act of rebellion threatens to upend her marriage, but could it also set her free?
When their paths collide, Meena, Sophie, and Rani form an unlikely alliance. Over coffee, cocktails, and confessions, they share the messy, hilarious truths about marriage, motherhood, and what they really want.
Raw, funny, and heartbreakingly relatable, The Sex Lives of Married Women is an unflinching exploration of the secret lives we all lead and the friendships that keep us going.
Get it from Penguin here.