AUTHOR, actress and comedian Meera Syal is gearing up for the release of her new book The House of Hidden Mothers.

Meera is famous for her comedy roles on television in Goodness Gracious Me, The Kumars at No. 42 and more recently in David Walliams’ BBC film The Boy in the Dress.

Syal’s latest and much anticipated release arrives nearly 16 years after her last book, Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee.

Never afraid to push the boundaries in discussing topical issues facing the Asian community, ‘The House of Hidden Mothers’ follows in the same vein as Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee in its determination to tackle difficult topics.

Late parenthood and surrogacy is not often openly discussed, although it is extremely prevalent in the British Asian community.

With many “late-mothers” returning to India in search of surrogates, there are now roughly 3,000 clinics that provide in vitro fertilisation in India. Every year, the country sees anywhere from 100 to 300 surrogate pregnancies, making it the surrogacy capital of the world.

Taking on such a sensitive topic is no easy feat, but Syal’s powerful novel is underpinned by female friendship, motherhood and love.

Author Meera Syal said, “Surrogacy is a sensitive topic but one I was keen to tackle because I was fascinated by it.

“My favourite book – The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, focuses on outsourcing fertility and I’d also once seen a documentary on the popularity of surrogacy in India, which was incredibly moving.

“Many people don’t realise that the world’s centre for surrogacy is in fact India, because it’s so cheap and there are no restrictions.

“For me, the topic is a perfect area to delve into. It’s about women, it’s about the politics of women and fertility, it’s about India and Britain, and I was very inspired to write it.”

The book will be published in hardback by Doubleday on 4 June at £14.99.