Ghosts

Set in Lahore, London and San Francisco, Ghosts explores the importance of having a home, of belonging somewhere. The main character in the novel, Zulaikha, struggles to hang on to the object she cherishes above anything she had in her life, her home. A strong woman with firm ideals, Zulaikha searches for the perfect woman to take over her house. She chooses Madeline, a young confident American woman, who is looking for somewhere to lay her roots. It is often said that things have a way of working out, but is this always true?

Rabia Khan was born in Karachi in 1968. She was an only child with an overactive imagination. She completed her primary schooling at the Convent of Jesus and Mary, which taught her two things: that she hates authority figures and that her creativity could actually thrive if disciplined. Rabia joined British Airways at the age of 18 but soon left to complete her A Levels (in Law and Accounting). She realised then how important education was for her. Rabia thoroughly enjoyed the process of learning and hopes to go back to school to complete college one day.

Rabia was married at the age of 21. She continued to flirt with the idea of having a career for a while. She worked for Citibank for 3 years and for Bear Stearns Jahangir Siddiqui for another year. Rabia then moved to California with her husband, Anwar. They spent two years in Silicon Valley, a stone’s throw from San Francisco, before moving on to London and Hertfordshire. Two years later, they moved to Dubai.

In San Francisco, Rabia was able to pursue her other great passion – cookery. She attended courses at the California Culinary Institute and now she teaches cooking and write on the subject.

Rabia’s other brushes with writing have mainly included report writing for hotel in-house magazines, market reviews for the business pages and for management consultants.

Rabia now lives in Dubai with Anwar and their two boys.