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Bestselling author Monica Ali’s first novel Brick Lane was published in 2003 and shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It has since been published in 26 languages. But in 2011, she resolved to never write again. After a decade away, she’s written a new book, Love Marriage. The book follows the lives of two families, the Ghoramis and the Sangsters, who are brought together when Yasmin and Joe fall in love.

She joined Emma Barnett on Â鶹Éç Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour to discuss why she took the hiatus and how meditation helped her to overcome depression and a lack of confidence.

Photography by Yolande De Vries.