ISBN: 978-1-912408-30-6
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: Myriad Editions, 2021
Language: English
Two-thirds of today’s British Pakistani diaspora trace their origins back to Mirpur in Azad Kashmir, a district that saw mass displacement and migration when it was submerged by the waters of a dam built after Partition. Sabba Khan’s debut graphic memoir explores what identity, belonging and memory mean for her and her family against the backdrop of this history. She paints a vivid snapshot of contemporary British Asian life and investigates the complex shifts experienced by different generations within migrant communities.
Khan’s eloquent minimal style and architectural page design illuminates her experiences of growing up as a second generation Azad Kashmiri migrant in East London. Issues of race, gender and class are brought to the forefront in a simple and personal narrative. The title of the book nods to the questions Khan explores: can religion and secularism, tradition and trend, heritage and progression move beyond a limited binary definition and toward a common space of love and understanding, and ultimately toward a pluralistic approach?
Shortlisted for Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition 2018
Guardian Book of the Year: Graphic Novel 2021
Sabba Khan is an architectural designer and visual artist. Her work is an exploration of first-world city life as a second-generation Kashmiri Muslim migrant. She lives in London.