Yassmin Abdel-Magied has had many manifestations in her career.
But her latest incarnation as a young adult fiction writer has surprised even her.
“I had never thought I would be a fiction writer. I was a massive consumer of young adult fiction. I never really thought it was an option for me,” Abdel-Magied told SBS Life.
Abdel-Magied approached the opportunity to write fiction, like so much in her varied career - as an engineer, entrepreneur and later media personality - with the characteristic gusto and confidence that maddens her critics.
“When Penguin Random house asked me if I was interested - I thought why not?”
Abdel-Magied said the decision to take on young adult fiction was inspired by her passion for representation and the importance of having stories that reflect the realities of a minority experience in culture. It’s an erasure the Sudanese-Australian writer says she only fully understood the impact of in her 20’s.
“I wanted to share the realities of growing up as a young black Muslim kid in Brisbane and having never seen that when I was growing up,” she said.
“If there was an opportunity to do that for other young people and have experiences to share, to feel visible and seen and relate to the characters, that’s really empowering in ways I don’t think we even realise.”
The result is ‘You must be Layla’ – the story of 13-year-old Muslim teen trying to find her place at her new private school in Brisbane. Layla’s struggles to fit in, Abdel-Magied says mirror her own.
The book, she says became a way to tap into her own emotional recovery after intense public trolling forced her flee Australia for London in 2017.
“I’m not going to lie - coming back to Australia comes with mixed feelings. I think being able to come back with this book and go through the process of writing this story I feel does take a lot of elements of my own life (helps),” she said.
“I explore themes around bullying and forgiveness and also what it means to be all these different things in a society that does not know how to deal with it…It was a way for me to deal with (what happened) in a fictionalised world where the stakes weren’t that high, and certainly informed by my life. I hope the lessons that come out it are hopeful.”
Overnight, Abdel-Magied became a one-woman metaphor for racial anxiety around Muslims, drawn into immigration and theology debates on , and later making headlines for an linking the day to offshore detention.
The backlash against Abdel-Magied, whose mega-watt smile and brash confidence made her idolised by young Muslim women of colour struggling to find their place in Australian society - also served as a cautionary tale to that same audience on the perils of being too outspoken in a public discourse still unused to minorities.
It’s something Abdel-Magied is conscious of in deciding to forge ahead with a public life. She is inspired by her mother who advised her that if she really wanted a stress-free life, she should opt for a salaried bean counter job.
“I think there has always been a part of me that’s been like I’m not going to let what happened affect my desire to live in the way I want to live.”
While the new Yassmin retains her trademark optimism, it’s clear the relentless trolling took its toll.
She has been open about seeking therapy and finding her home in the intellectual life of cosmopolitan London. It's an escape she says has become a refuge - giving her the opportunity to revel in the rich cultural conversations about race and culture the city offers.
“London – I love it,” she said. “I found family and community way in ways I didn’t think possible.”
It’s clear the juggernaut that is Abdel-Magied continues to be a force whose public evolution will continue to surprise.
“The flip side, the positive thing (from my experience) is you can have all these things against you…and still reframe the conversation.”
‘You must be Layla’ by Yassmin Abdel-Magied is published by Penguin and available for sale RRP$16.99.
