Stirring the Pot by Quraisha Dawood

The private lives of Muslim women in a Durban block of flats

Photo credits Nabihah Plaatjes

Quraisha Dawood's interest in the intricacies of the Muslim home and its women led her to investigate the relationships between Muslim 'madams' and their 'maids' during her master's thesis in 2012.

Be an Anonymous Angel, donate HERE

"Themes around privacy, intimacy and womanhood arose as the inspiration for the book Stirring the Pot,"

she says.

"Based on true reflections and experiences, the novel gives the reader a glimpse into the private lives of Muslim women in North Beach, Durban."

Dive into this swirl of women and their husbands, children, grandchildren and in-laws, a world bristling with life and vitality, amid judgements and forgiveness, secrets and lies, expectations and disappointments.

Each chapter of Quraisha Dawood's debut novel ends with a recipe - curry, bhajias, mango lassi and more - so you can taste the flavours of events by the characters, including a wedding, Ramadaan and a passing.

Advertise HERE

Quraisha Dawood is a South African sociologist and writer. In 2002, she published an anthology of poems entitled Jewels of Faith: Poems for Muslim Youth. She has since been published in Reader's Digest, Irtiqa magazine, Al-Qalam, Al-Ummah, the Sunday Tribune, Riding the Samoosa Express and Saffron, as well as academic journals. In 2020, she published Almost Me, an autobiographical account of her journey through miscarriage, postpartum depression and motherhood. She holds a PhD in Sociology from the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is currently the research manager of a private higher education institution. Stirring the Pot is her first novel.