“You’re right.” I nod, because she is. We do deserve to enjoy this day. Hani slips her fingers into mine and, for the umpteenth time, I’m surprised at all of the ways the two of us fit together. All the ways I never expected us to fit together in a million years. “I’m glad you’re here to share it all with me.”
“The good and the bad,” Hani says.
“The good and the bad,” I agree. She squeezes my hand, sending a jolt of electricity through me.
Gathered up in her arms with the beat of Bollywood music all around me, everything feels strangely right. Like none of the bad stuff even matters anymore. Because as long as Hani and I are side-by-side, everything will be all right.
acknowledgments
It almost seems like there is a never-ending list of people who helped make this book possible. Thank you to each and every one of you.
Thank you, first of all, to my wonderful agent, Uwe Stender, for your endless support and belief in my work. I hope that we can bring many more books into the world together.
Thank you to my editor, Lauren Knowles, who pushed this book to be the best that it could be and always understood my vision. I get to write books that are unapologetically Bengali, Muslim, queer, and many other things, all thanks to you.
Thank you to everyone at Page Street who helped make this book the best version of itself. Thank you to Tamara Grasty, Franny Donington, Hayley Gundlach, Elliot Phillips, A?cha Martine Thiam, and Marissa Giambelluca for helping shape this book into something very special. Thank you to Meg Baskis and Julia Tyler for designing this book to be beautiful inside and out. Thank you to Lizzy Mason and Lauren Cepero for all of your hard work in promoting this book.
A massive thank you to Nabigal-Nayagam Haider Ali. I could not have dreamed of a more fitting cover for this book. Thank you for bringing these characters to life.
Thank you to my Bengali squad, Tammi and Priyanka, for always being there when I need a listening ear or （more often） have a question about Bangladesh or Bangla. This book would not exist without the two of you.
Muita obrigada to my friend Gabhi. I’ve spent countless hours complaining to you about this book, about writing, about revisions … and you’ve always been there to listen. I cannot believe how lucky I am to get to call you a friend.
Thank you to my friends Aleema and Faridah. You basically held my hand through the first draft of Hani and Ishu, and listened to so many hours of me trying to figure out plot and character problems. You never complained, and you helped make this book into what it is today. This book would be worse off without the two of you.
A huge thank you to my debut buddy, Anuradha. You were such a source of light and support while debuting at a very difficult time, and I will always be grateful for that.
Thank you to all of my friends who have been immensely supportive throughout the years: Amanda, Gavin, Lia, Ramona, Alyssa, April, Kristine, Shaun, Timmy, Alechia, Maria, London. I appreciate all of you so much.
Thank you to my brother, and my sister-in-law, Biyut Apu, for hosting me in your house for two weeks while I wrote the large majority of this book. Thank you especially for taking me out for some amazing biryani at Dum Biryani and Dishoom. I’m not saying that all of the biryani scenes in this book were written as a result of that, but I’m also not not saying that.
I debuted during a strange time, and I’m immensely grateful to all of the people who helped me navigate everything at a difficult time. First of all, thank you to my two very talented friends Fadwa and Vanshika. I feel very lucky to know the both of you. And a huge thank you to Saajid and Carmen for all you support. It was such a pleasure to get to work with you.
Thank you to every single person who supported my debut, who showed up to virtual events, who messaged me or sent an email to share how they connected with my work, who tweeted out their support, who drew fanart, or made an aesthetic or edit. All of this helped me keep going and motivated me to work on bringing this second book out into the world. If I wrote down everyone’s names it would be a never-ending list. But there were a few people who have been immensely supportive of me, and it would be unfair to not shout them out here. So, a huge thank you to Fanna, Gargee, Mis, Lili, CW, not just for your support of my work, but for all you do to uplift diverse books and voices. The book community is incredibly lucky to have all of you.
Lastly, and most importantly, thank you to you, the reader, for picking this book up and giving it a chance.
about the author
Adiba Jaigirdar was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and has been living in Dublin, Ireland, from the age of ten. She has a BA in English and History from University College Dublin and an MA in Postcolonial Studies from the University of Kent. She’s the author of The Henna Wars. All of her work is aided by many cups of tea and a healthy dose of Janelle Monáe and Hayley Kiyoko. When not writing, she enjoys reading, playing video games, and ranting about the ills of colonialism. She can be found at adibajaigirdar.com or @adiba_j on Twitter and @dibs_j on Instagram. You can sign up for author updates here.