The Roles We Play by Sabba Khan

‘Where is home, Mum?’

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.

*WINNER of the Jhalak Prize 2022*

Longlisted for the RSL Ondaatje Prize 2022

The Guardian Books of the Year 2021 - Graphic Novels

‘One of the true rising stars of UK indie comics…combining moments of quieter symbolism with compelling visual metaphor.’
— Andy Oliver, Broken Frontier

Paperback. 272 pages
Publisher: Myriad (2021)
Language: English
ISBN: 978-1-912408-30-6
Size: 24cm x 17cm

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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?

‘Imaginative framing, expressive sketches and thoughtful prose combine in a fascinating debut’ The Guardian

‘A powerful debut by a singularly penetrative and eloquent voice.’
Publishers Weekly starred review

SABBA KHAN is a visual artist, graphic novelist and architectural designer
living in Newham, East London. An extract from The Roles We Play was
shortlisted by the SABBA KHAN is a visual artist, graphic novelist and architectural designer living in Newham, East London.

An extract from The Roles We Play was shortlisted by the Myriad First Graphic Novel Competition 2018.

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