The Secret Diary of a Fraught Bengali
(2026)(The seventh book in the Diverse romcom series)
A novel by Halima Khatun
A fraught new(ish) mum. A toddler who doesn’t sleep. A big move.
Life has a funny way of coming full circle.
I couldn’t wait to leave my small neighbourhood up north, yet here we are, thinking of moving back. However, with a career in flux, older parents and in-laws that come with their own expectations, can I really leave my bubble in London to go back to all that?
The latest book in the award-winning series sees our fraught heroine face new challenges as she navigates life in the sandwich generation – having a small child and older parents to take care of. It’s funny, heartwarming and poignant.
Set against the backdrop of a changing social landscape, former journalist Halima Khatun’s The Secret Diary of a Fraught Bengali explores race, identity and belonging, in a way only she knows how.
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.
Genre: General Fiction
Life has a funny way of coming full circle.
I couldn’t wait to leave my small neighbourhood up north, yet here we are, thinking of moving back. However, with a career in flux, older parents and in-laws that come with their own expectations, can I really leave my bubble in London to go back to all that?
The latest book in the award-winning series sees our fraught heroine face new challenges as she navigates life in the sandwich generation – having a small child and older parents to take care of. It’s funny, heartwarming and poignant.
Set against the backdrop of a changing social landscape, former journalist Halima Khatun’s The Secret Diary of a Fraught Bengali explores race, identity and belonging, in a way only she knows how.
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.
Genre: General Fiction