The literati are raving about Monica Ali. Not surprising really, with her first novel, Brick Lane, a hot contender for the Booker Prize. Two chapters done and Doubleday Publishers signed her, and literary magazine Granta included her on its list of best young British authors after inspecting a manuscript version of the novel.

Born to an English mother and a Bengali father in Dhaka and transplanted to Bolton in northern England as a child, her dual identity was useful training. "Standing not quite in the thick of things, but rather in the shadow of the doorway, is a very good place from which to observe."

Her observations of life in Bangladesh, the idiosyncrasies and use of language bring the country to life. "I owe a debt of gratitude to my father," says Ali. "He always used to tell me tales about village life and some of these have found their way into the novel." Brick Lane is the epicentre for Britain’s Bangladeshi community and the novel tells the story of two sisters, as religious, cultural, racial and gender divides swirl around them while they grapple with their individual destinies. Research in Brick Lane opened her eyes…"but I am not a journalist, so I stepped back and gave myself to imagining within a context."

Thirty-five-year old Ali, married to a management consultant, has two young children. She has received valuable feedback to the book, from the Bangladeshi community, both in Britain and in Bangladesh. "People have been keen to let me know the ways in which they personally related to the book. One woman said to me that when she finished reading it, she wept because ‘finally someone is writing about us.’"

Conflict is a key element, and Ali drew greatly on personal experiences. "My experience was largely one of awareness of difference and of trying to fit in. These conflicts were sharpest in childhood and adolescence."

Apart from conflict, Brick Lane also explores the role of fate. "I like to feel I am in charge of my own life but I often question how realistic that is." says Ali. Right now, though, she’s not complaining!