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I found this a thoughtful exploration of the nature of identity and personhood, the tensions and balances between the individual and their place in a community, of the experience of belonging and being othered.
As a memoir, Khan's reflections include issues of culture, history, religion and irreligion, and patriarchy/feminism specific to her upbringing as a female, British South Asian Muslim, while her existential questions are universal. 5⭐

“We must remember...
... race is a construct...
... class is a construct...
... gender is a construct.
Beneath it all we are quivering flesh.
Glistening in the sun.
Goose-pimpled in the moon.”

“How convenient for those in power to have a labour force accustomed to disempowerment and willing to settle for less.”

These are ☝️good books☝️, meaning I got them from the library rather than buying them! I have another three books on retail order, then I'm committed to not buying any more for at least two months. Maybe I should get a sticker book and award myself stars for not buying more books than I read 🤔🌟

Khan is asking some very difficult yet important questions in search of identity, independence and belonging. Vulnerable and thoughtful, this graphic memoir is definitely worth a read.

Originally published in the UK as The Roles We Play.

This City is anonymity. She swallows you whole... It's almost a gift, a cloak of invisibility...