The Big Day

A British-Asian granddaughter and her grandmother team up to plan their Big Day. From the author of Would I Lie to You?

A British-Asian granddaughter and her grandmother team up to plan their Big Day. But then Zara stumbles across a family secret which changes everything. Suddenly she isn't sure if she even wants to get married at all...

A funny, heartwarming and page-turning novel about a British-Asian granddaughter and her grandmother, who team up to plan their Big Day. Zara, 29, is planning her wedding. She loves her fiancé Dan, but the pressure is huge: a marriage to a British-Asian from a good family has been her mother's dream for Zara since she was six. In desperation, Zara turns to her granny, who is planning her own Big Day: her funeral. Granny's snobbish friends all rate the funerals they go to – the only 'parties' they attend these days – and she is determined to throw a good one. So Zara and her granny decide to help each other out – visiting florists and drawing up guest lists together. With all the focus on throwing the perfect party, they can forget their worries about the future. As they reconnect, Zara starts to wonder if she can be more like Granny and grab life instead of being afraid of it. But then she stumbles across a family secret which changes everything. Suddenly Zara isn't sure if she even wants to get married at all... Praise for Aliya Ali-Afzal: 'Uplifting and joyous... A refreshing new voice in commercial fiction' Cosmopolitan 'Warm, intelligent [...] and keeps up the tension right till the end' Sophie Kinsella 'A fresh take on domestic dynamics and moral dilemma' Clare Mackintosh 'I devoured this book' Sarah Pearse 'Tense, funny, poignant and very clever' Claire Douglas