A Preston writer is releasing a queer historical romance spanning 1940s Pakistan and contemporary UK life.
Ahad Abbas says his debut novel, Sandalwood and Jasmine, is inspired by his experience growing up in Fishwick as part of a Pakistani family.
The novel is set partly in Rawalpindi in the 1940s, during the period leading up to the Partition of India, and partly in the UK in the 2020s. It tells the story of a forbidden love between a Muslim writer and a Sikh boy, revealed through a long-hidden diary that is later discovered by the narrator’s great granddaughter in modern Britain.
The book explores themes of love, identity, memory, and the lives that history forced into silence.
Ahad – who now lives in Walton-le-Dale – works as a freelance writer alongside his role as a baker and store assistant at Waitrose. He wrote Sandalwood and Jasmine in 2024.
“What inspired me to write this book was my 14-year-old self. Growing up as a queer boy in a brown Pakistani household, I had no representation. I was repeatedly told by people around me that who I was was not normal. I was severely bullied in high school after being outed as gay.”
Ahad says the experience shaped him into the man he is today and pushed him to become an advocate for queer love. However, writing the book wasn’t an easy process.
“It was complex and deeply emotional, and there were times when I cried while writing it. Despite this, I knew the story was important – especially for those who have had to hide who they are out of fear of not being accepted or of being disowned by their families simply for being queer.
“I also thought of my ancestors – those who came before me – who were not allowed to love freely and who had to love in silence, as many still do today.”
Sandalwood and Jasmine is also heavily influenced by history.
“I set the story during Partition, which is very dear to me,” said Ahad. “I grew up hearing stories from my great-grandparents who lived through it. The research was not easy and was just as emotional as writing the story itself.
“At times, I had to take long breaks because the research alone affected me deeply on a mental level.”
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With plans to self-publish the book this month, Ahad said he’s already received support on social media.
“I’ve received long, emotional messages from closeted queer men thanking me for creating this story,” he said. “That support has reminded me why this book matters.”
Writing the book became a journey of acceptance for Ahad – something he hopes readers will experience as well.
“I believe Sandalwood and Jasmine is for everyone, and stories like this should be normalised. But it will resonate particularly deeply with closeted queer people and those from religious families where acceptance is often not even considered.”
“I want the book to provide representation, especially for those who did not have it growing up. I want people to know that it is okay to be gay, that it is okay to love, and that it is not a sin. It is normal.”
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