Bradford healthcare worker has first novel published

Bradford healthcare assistant Sairish Hussain has had her first book published. Catherine Scott reports.
Sairish Hussain, who has had her first book published, with Danielle Pearson.Sairish Hussain, who has had her first book published, with Danielle Pearson.
Sairish Hussain, who has had her first book published, with Danielle Pearson.

Her day job might be a Healthcare Assistant in the maternity unit at Bradford Hospital but Sairish Hussain has written and published her first novel.

The Family Tree is a moving, multigenerational story of a British Muslim family in the North of England full of love, laughter and resilience as well as all the faults, mistakes and stubborn loyalties which make us human.

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Despite only being published by Harper Collins on February 20, the novel has already collected widespread acclaim and rave reviews, including being named one of Cosmopolitan magazine’s ‘best new books by black and POC authors in 2020’.

The novel opens with widowed father Amjad trying his best to raise his two young children.

When the children are older, a brutal, random attack changes their lives forever and sends the family off into different directions.

The story follows each of them as they try to find their way back to each other.

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The idea for the book first came to Sairish, 27, who is part of the Sonography team within Bradford Teaching Hospitals Maternity Unit, while she was an English Language and Literature student at the University of Huddersfield.

She later put pen to paper while studying for an MA and then a PhD in Creative Writing, and the novel began to take shape.

“I came up with the idea for the book in 2014, during the final year of my degree, and let it stew in my head for a while,” says Sairish.

“I was fed up with the negative portrayal of British Muslims. 
Life happens to us too, just like everyone else, but all I heard about was forced marriage, 9/11 and suicide bombings.

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“Growing up, I wanted to hear about British Muslim women who could be angry and politicised without becoming jihadi brides.

“I also wanted to portray Muslim men realistically as I have never come across a loving Muslim dad and his daughter.

“They are always portrayed as strict and overbearing, but it’s not like that.

“Although I already had the plot in my head before I started writing, it changed a lot.

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“I wrote the first 25,000 words while studying for my MA. I was then awarded the university’s Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship after achieving a Distinction and was able to progress onto PhD study and continue writing the novel.”

Then, in 2017, Sairish – whose favourite writers include Zadie Smith, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and James Baldwin – attended a talk at Bradford Literature Festival on how to get published.

“One of the members of the panel there was Lisa Milton from Harper Collins.

“Everyone queued up to pitch their books to her, so I thought I might as well too.

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“She offered to read it and a few weeks later I got an email back saying she loved it and wanted to be my publisher

“I then got an agent and did a lot more editing with the agent and an editor. It’s such a long process but very exciting.”

Colleagues within the 
Sonography team recently held a celebration to mark the book’s publication, and many have bought their own copies.

“People have been waiting for 
the book for two years and 
everyone has been so lovely and supportive.”

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Sairish works part-time at the Trust alongside her proud mum, long-term Urdu and Punjabi translator Perveen Hussain, who chose the colours for the novel’s cover.

It picks out the branches of a 
host of different trees to highlight one of the book’s key themes: family roots.

“She has worked hard and we are very proud of her,” says Perveen.

Senior Sonographer Danielle Pearson echoed Perveen’s comments, adding: “She is amazing and very talented – and we are very proud.

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“She’s been on cloud nine and deserves to be as she works very hard!”

Sairish, who lives with her family in Fairweather Green, Bradford, signed a two-book deal with Harper Collins, and has already begun writing a second novel.

But she hopes as many people as possible will dive into The Family Tree first.

“I just want people to read it and enjoy it,” she added.

The Family Tree (HQ, Harper Collins) is available now from all good bookshops, priced £12.99.

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