Desi Girl (Sarah Malik, UQP)

Desi Girl is a collection of memoir-style essays by Pakistani-Australian journalist Sarah Malik. The essays primarily chronicle Malik’s university years, taking the reader through pivotal moments during this time before leaping into the days of the pandemic. In each piece Malik reflects upon her family, faith and love for literature, all of which have led her to the life and career she has today. Examining her own place in society and the forces that have helped shape her beliefs, Malik has woven together a series of thoughtful essays that ask the reader to consider their place in the world and the systems that allow it. These themes are explored through a wide range of lenses, from Malik’s experiences of contradicting her family’s expectations—complete with crises of faith and trying to find her place in Sydney—through to an exploration of postmodernism and a wary but enduring love for Jane Austen. In crisp and precise prose, Desi Girl maps Malik’s life around Sydney’s suburbs and beyond. Sitting almost perfectly in between Echoes by Shu-Ling Chua and Muddy People by Sara El Sayed, Desi Girl will resonate with readers from migrant or immigrant backgrounds, and anyone else who has lacked seeing their own reality reflected in mainstream culture.

Marina Sano is a bookseller and owner of Amplify Bookstore.

Category: Reviews