The National Teen Book Club meet author Bali Rai
This week, our Year 11-13 The National Teen Book Club participants had the exciting opportunity to meet author Bali Rai! He joined us live to discuss his book "Cut Both Ways" and its strong thematic connections to "Rani and Sukh" and "Romeo and Juliet," including love, rivalry, and cultural tension.
Bali, inspired by Punjabi folk tales, set out to create a Bollywood-style retelling of Romeo and Juliet. Growing up in a South Asian community, he witnessed family rivalries first hand, which shaped his storytelling. His work reimagines Shakespearean scenes with a modern twist—like replacing the iconic balcony scene with a male lead and the female lead’s best friend, and swapping “Do you bite your thumb at us?” for playful “your mum” jokes.
As a child, Bali was inspired by authors like Roald Dahl, C.S. Lewis, and Sue Townsend, whose Adrian Mole series, set in his home town of Leicester, made him believe he could be a writer. Before going full-time, he worked in bars and nightclubs while considering a teaching career. His debut novel, (Un)arranged Marriage, was inspired by his own family’s experiences with arranged and forced marriages. Despite being advised against it, Bali wrote Rani and Sukh from a female perspective, which challenged him to rethink his views on race, gender and class.
With influences from Malorie Blackman, Jacqueline Wilson, and Alan Gibbons, Bali continues to be a powerful voice in contemporary fiction.
His session was truly inspiring, and we hope our NTBC participants left feeling just as motivated as we did!