The Funeral Director

Life as the director of a Muslim funeral parlour isn’t always easy, but Ayesha has things pretty sorted. She and Zeyd share everything: a marriage, a business, a future.

Until Tom walks in to organise his boyfriend’s funeral. A snap moral decision, informed by the values of Ayesha’s community and faith, has profound consequences.

Forced to confront a secret she has hidden even from herself, Ayesha must decide who she is – no matter the cost.

Chosen from 1,384 entries to the 2018 Papatango New Writing Prize, The Funeral Director is an incisive and heartfelt story of sexuality, gender and religion in 21st-century Britain.