DIGGING DEEP

Writing a book about your life is the literary equivalent of baring your soul, but this author does it with unwavering poise

When I read The 7 Sins of Being a Mother, I was, in a word, awe struck. I'm not married. I'm not a mother. By those standards, there was little that I could have found relevant in the book. But I sat there, hours passing me by, seeing what the author saw, hearing what she heard, and feeling what she felt. And despite not being married, despite not having children, there were multiple instances in the book that made this 20-year-old, sitting in her parent's living room, feel seen.

That's the power that bestselling author Tahira Kashyap Khurrana holds over her readers. In her latest book, through brutally honest, observant, and witty writing, she gracefully manoeuvres all the nuances of motherhood.

GRAZIA: Was this book meant to be a follow-up to The 12 Commandments of Being a Woman? Or do you look at both books as separate journeys?

TAHIRA KASHYAP KHURRANA: You know, writing The 12 Commandments of Being a Woman was a liberating experience. Of course, it's my journey; it comes from my own life. And I got a tremendous response for it. But, as part of being a woman, I think my journey was also about being a mom. There's so much that encompasses being a woman but, at the same a time, I didn't want to lose my identity as a mother. So, in a way, it is a follow up, but in another way, it's a separate journey.

G: Is it tough to write non-fiction, especially when you're drawing from your own life?