A wealthy expat on an extended break, Jamila is drifting in her family's village when she unexpectedly falls in love with a local. Aamir is exactly the kind of man she had sworn off, someone her parents might have once arranged for her. Now with the confidence of an older woman, she starts a clandestine affair with him. The holiday fling turns serious.
'The Lovers' explores the power of love to make us back-flip on our most vehemently declared beliefs.
Most things that happen in life, especially the very big shifts… can often be very unexpected. People are sort of going about their business and then something really catches them off guard.Yumna Kassab
Kassab says she was inspired by D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley's Lover, where the protagonist's transgression wasn't having an affair with someone from a lower class, but falling in love.
In Kassab's lyrical and romantic book, Jamila is torn between the expectations placed on a woman of her class, and her own fears of being engulfed by the demands of marriage and motherhood.
Listen to a chat with the author in this episode of the SBS Book Club. Find it in the SBS Audio app, Listnr, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Executive producer/host - Sarah Malik
Sound engineer - Micky Grossman
