The Roles We Play

Jhalak Prize · 2022 · WinnerJhalak Prize · 2021 · ShortlistJhalak Prize · 2020 · Shortlist

Avery Hill PublishingApril 7, 2022graphic-novels nonfiction biography-memoirISBN 9781787392434

Award History

Award	Year	Status	Citation
Jhalak Prize	2022	Winner	“For its richly textured graphic memoir — a work that finds a new form for questions about cultural identity, inheritance, and change.”
Jhalak Prize	2021	Shortlist
Jhalak Prize	2020	Shortlist

About This Book

Sabba Khan's graphic memoir explores the experience of growing up as a first-generation British-Pakistani woman, navigating between a traditional family structure and the expectations of contemporary British life. Rendered in vivid, richly textured artwork, the book examines how inherited cultural roles shape — and can be reimagined by — women across generations. It won the Jhalak Prize in 2022.

About the Author

Sabba KhanGB

Sabba Khan is a British-Pakistani architect, illustrator, and author born in London. She studied architecture at the University of Greenwich and works as an architect and urban designer. The Roles We Play (2022, Avery Hill Publishing) is her debut graphic memoir, exploring the experience of growing up as a first-generation British-Pakistani woman, navigating between the expectations of her traditional family structure and contemporary British life. Read more →