Henna's marriage to Ricky-Rashid was achieved through an audacious web of lies as elaborate and brazen as the golden embroidery on her scarlet wedding sari…Ricky is soon to realise his bride is not in fact who he thought she was. As Ricky and Henna tolerate their loveless marriage of convenience, the way is paved for a future of deception.

Rashid creates a double life: in Bangladesh, he is just Rashid, Henna's hen-pecked husband, but when he is sent to England on business, he makes another life for himself - spinning the web of lies further. Together, however, Rashid and Henna have a daughter, Shona - soon she too has her own secrets to hide.

Shona falls in love, and marries Parvez - he is from Pakistan, and her Bangladeshi parents are strongly against this union. Shona and Parvez move to England, living initially above a sweet shop in Tooting.

They have twins, Omar and Sharif - very different in character, Sharif a wild band member and Omar more studious - although his life at university leads him to follow a path he had not expected. Sharif falls passionately in love for the first time, but realises he cannot be with this girl…Until the biggest secret of all is uncovered…

ABOUT ROOPA FAROOKI

Roopa Farooki was born in Pakistan and brought up in London, working in advertising as Worldwide Account Director for Saatchi & Saatchi and then J Walter Thompson. She now lives in South West France with her husband and young son, where she is renovating an old farmhouse. Bitter Sweets is her first novel.

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