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Zoya Patel Zoya Patel i(A114253 works by)
Born: Established: 1990 ;
Gender: Female
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Works By

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1 I Believed Readers Only Wanted Trauma Stories from Writers of Colour. Then I Became an Author Zoya Patel , 2023 single work column
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 19 March 2023;
1 3 y separately published work icon Once a Stranger Zoya Patel , Sydney : Hachette Australia , 2023 25529188 2023 single work novel

'Their mother was sick. Their mother was dying.

'Laila wanted her to come home.

'She wasn't sure which of the two truths was more frightening.

'Ayat hasn't seen or spoken to her sister, Laila, and mother, Khadija, for six years. She has been estranged from her family since she baulked against the arranged marriage of her sister and settled into a relationship deemed haram by Indian Muslim tradition.

'Living in Melbourne, with Harry, Ayat's a different person now, living a different life. She is not the woman her mother and sister once knew - so how can she go home? But how can she not?

'Once a Stranger weaves through the past and present to show the bonds and disconnects between sisters, and between a mother and daughter, as the three women grapple with the idea of where they feel most at home.' (Publication summary) 

1 y separately published work icon Book It In : Emily Bitto Zoya Patel (presenter), 2022 25160150 2022 single work podcast

'In a road trip prompted by an Australian man’s imagination of America, Emily Bitto explores the literary trope of the masculine hero’s quest – through her novel Wild Abandon.'

Source: Book It In.

1 y separately published work icon Book It In : Yumna Kassab Zoya Patel (presenter), 2022 25159744 2022 single work podcast

'Australiana is a novel set in a nameless town in rural Australia, where Yumna Kassab explores interconnected experiences of inequality. In doing so, she also makes us pause and reflect on how Australia is represented through literature.'

Source: Book It In.

1 y separately published work icon Book It In : Hannah Kent Zoya Patel (presenter), 2022 25159507 2022 single work podcast

'Hannah Kent’s novel, Devotion, is a queer love story that is set in a pious, nineteenth century religious community. In resisting the narrative of shame that has dominated the retelling of this time in history, Kent is challenging the way authors represent the past.'

Source: Book It In.

1 y separately published work icon Book It In : Omar Musa Zoya Patel (presenter), 2022 25159286 2022 single work podcast

'Drawing on a printmaking technique he learned from punk-rock climate activists in Borneo, Malaysian Australian author and poet Omar Musa wrestles with race, family and isolation in Killernova, his new book of poetry and art. He talks to Zoya Patel and also performs poems from his new book.'

Source: Book It In.

1 Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Review – a Culture War in a Nursing Home Zoya Patel , 2022 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 8 February 2022;

— Review of Chai Time at Cinnamon Gardens Shankari Chandran , 2022 single work novel

'Set in both modern-day western Sydney and the Sri Lankan civil war, Shankari Chandran’s latest novel is sprawling but unbalanced'

1 y separately published work icon Book It In : Alice Pung Zoya Patel (interviewer), 2022 23741159 2022 single work podcast interview

'In conversation with Zoya Patel, Alice Pung talks about the writing life and having a separate job – while also navigating the publishing industry as a woman and person of colour.'

1 y separately published work icon Book It In : Rawah Arja Zoya Patel (interviewer), 2022 23740974 2022 single work podcast interview

'Rawah Arja was determined to write a YA novel for – and about – teenage boys in Western Sydney. She tells Zoya Patel about how she created a story about religion, rivalries, romance, racism and redemption in The F Team'

1 Emily Bitto on Gender and the Hero's Quest Zoya Patel (interviewer), 2022 single work podcast interview
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 27 January 2022;

'In a road trip prompted by an Australian man’s imagination of America, Emily Bitto explores the literary trope of the masculine hero’s quest – through her novel Wild Abandon'

1 Love and Virtue by Diana Reid Review – Sex, Shame and the Social Minefields of Campus Life Zoya Patel , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 22 October 2021;

— Review of Love and Virtue Diana Reid , 2021 single work novel

'Reid’s debut is a multilayered page-turner on power, unrequited love and campus rape culture, wrapped in a coming-of-age narrative' 

1 Echolalia by Briohny Doyle : A Dark, Deft and Gripping Read about Mania and Motherhood Zoya Patel , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 4 June 2021;

— Review of Echolalia Briohny Doyle , 2021 single work novel
1 The Imitator by Rebecca Starford Review : Fast-paced Literary Spy Thriller with Feminist Undertones Zoya Patel , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 12 February 2021;

— Review of The Imitator Rebecca Starford , 2021 single work novel
1 The Others by Mark Brandi Review – Sanctuary from a Plague or Something More Sinister? Zoya Patel , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 6 August 2021;

— Review of The Others Mark Brandi , 2021 single work novel

'Author’s third novel is an uneasy, haunting tale of fear and isolation, told through the eyes of a child and let down only by its uneven pace.'

1 Before You Knew My Name by Jacqueline Bublitz Review – More Than a Gripping Whodunnit Zoya Patel , 2021 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 18 June 2021;

— Review of Before You Knew My Name Jacqueline Bublitz , 2021 single work novel

'The Melbourne writer’s debut novel challenges the conventions of the crime genre, weaving feminism, philosophy and mortality throughout.'

1 Kokomo by Victoria Hannan Review : Anticipated Debut Lives Up to the Hype Zoya Patel , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 14 August 2020;

— Review of Kokomo Victoria Hannan , 2020 single work novel
1 Bluebird by Malcolm Knox Review – Vivid Characters Bring an Aussie Beach Town to Brilliant Life Zoya Patel , 2020 single work review
— Appears in: The Guardian Australia , 18 September 2020;

— Review of Bluebird Malcolm Knox , 2020 single work novel

'In this riveting take on the Australian dream, Gordon Grimes and his ageing surf crew cling to the past, as gentrification – and personal crises – encroach.'

1 Displaced Zoya Patel , 2020 single work short story
— Appears in: After Australia 2020; (p. 87-106)
1 Provisions : An Interview with Dr Kamala Emanuel Zoya Patel (interviewer), 2019 single work interview
— Appears in: Choice Words : A Collection of Writing about Abortion 2019;
1 Zoya Patel Reviews Hijabi in Jeans by Isil Cosar Zoya Patel , 2019 single work review
— Appears in: Mascara Literary Review , March no. 23 2019;

— Review of Hijabi in Jeans Halee I. Cosar , 2018 selected work poetry

'From the very first poem, it is clear that Hijabi In Jeans by H.I. Cosar is a deeply personal, and deeply political collection, entwining the two themes to carry through every piece. Cosar, a Turkish-Australian teacher and writer has spoken of her bilingual, bicultural upbringing and the complexities that entailed (ABC, May 2018), and these experiences are clear influences that flow throughout the collection. There is the sense that Cosar is grappling with her fractured identity on the page, wrestling with cultural demons and trying to find a way through the murkiness that is the migrant experience.' (Introduction)

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