1--What is the title of your latest release?
INDEPENDENCE
2--What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
Set during the partition of British India in 1947, a time when neighbor was pitted against neighbor and families were torn apart, Chitra Divakaruni’s novel brings to life the sweeping story of three sisters caught up in events beyond their control, and their unbreakable bond as they struggle against powerful odds.
3--How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
Since it was about India’s independence, I already knew the country. I come from the Eastern border, and not much has been written in English about the Partition struggles in that region, so I knew I wanted to explore that. One of the sisters, Priya, is set on being a doctor, and since it is almost impossible for Indian women at that time to get into medical colleges, I knew she would be coming to America. I researched and discovered Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania—it was the perfect fit.
4--Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life?
The three sisters are a lively, intelligent lot with strong opinions. Two of them are excellent singers, and one has read widely. Yes, I would totally hang out with them!
5--What are three words that describe your protagonist?
Deepa: dreamy
Priya: passionate
Jamini: driven
6--What’s something you learned while writing this book?
I learned, devastatingly, that almost 1 million people died during Partition, as India was gaining her freedom.
7--Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
I edit a little after each chapter if I come up with a powerful new insight. I do the big edit after I’m done.
8--What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I love Indian curries, especially chicken, shrimp and potato curries, and I have many wonderful family recipes handed down to me by my mother.
9--Describe your writing space/office!
It’s a small room with a desk, a chair, and too many books, some of them piled on the floor. My desk faces a wall so I will not get distracted by what’s going on outside my window.
10--Who is an author you admire?
Margaret Atwood. She has a great imagination, excellent plots that surprise the reader, fantastic world-building skills, and complex character creation.
11--Is there a book that changed your life?
Lord of the Rings. I read it as a teenager and decided I wanted to create fictional worlds just like Tolkien did.
12--Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published)/Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My agent Sandra Dikjstra called me at home. I had been waiting a bit nervously because I knew she was in discussion with Morrow/HarperCollins. I was delighted and relieved that they loved the book and wanted it. The book was only half-done, with a detailed synopsis, so this was a great motivation to write even harder than before. It was also wonderful that I would now have an editor with whom I could discuss elements of the novel.
13--What’s your favorite genre to read?
I love almost all genres but if I had to pick one, I would say Historial.
14--What’s your favorite movie?
I love The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Have watched it several times!
15--What is your favorite season?
Spring
16--How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
Getting takeout from my favorite restaurant for a fun get-together with family
17--What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I loved watching the Wolf Hall series about King Henry VIII and Cromwell.
18--What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
Chinese Indian. It’s a hybrid cuisine that was created when Chinese settlers immigrated to my home city Kolkata about a hundred years ago. Over the years, I’ve learned to cook it quite well!
19--What do you do when you have free time?
Read, play word games, go for walks, watch movies at home with family, cook together with my sons.
20--What can readers expect from you next?
I’m working on a biography of a famous Indian couple, which I think will be very inspiring for readers.
Set during the partition of British India in 1947, a time when neighbor was pitted against neighbor and families were torn apart, award-winning author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s novel brings to life the sweeping story of three sisters caught up in events beyond their control, their unbreakable bond, and their incredible struggle against powerful odds.
India, 1947.
In a rural village in Bengal live three sisters, daughters of a well-respected doctor.
Priya: intelligent and idealistic, resolved to follow in her father’s footsteps and become a doctor, though society frowns on it.
Deepa: the beauty, determined to make a marriage that will bring her family joy and status.
Jamini: devout, sharp-eyed, and a talented quiltmaker, with deeper passions than she reveals.
Theirs is a home of love and safety, a refuge from the violent events taking shape in the nation. Then their father is killed during a riot, and even their neighbors turn against them, bringing the events of their country closer to home.
As Priya determinedly pursues her career goal, Deepa falls deeply in love with a Muslim, causing her to break with her family. And Jamini attempts to hold her family together, even as she secretly longs for her sister’s fiancè
When the partition of India is officially decided, a drastic—and dangerous—change is in the air. India is now for Hindus, Pakistan for Muslims. The sisters find themselves separated from one another, each on different paths. They fear for what will happen to not just themselves, but each other.
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni outdoes herself with this deeply moving story of sisterhood and friendship, painting an account of India’s independence simultaneously exhilarating and devastating, that will make any reader—new or old—a devoted fan.
Women's Fiction Historical [William Morrow, On Sale: January 17, 2023, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780063142381 / eISBN: 9780063142404]
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is an award-winning and bestselling author, poet, activist and teacher of writing. Her work has been published in over 50 magazines, including the Atlantic Monthly and The New Yorker, and her writing has been included in over 50 anthologies, including The Best American Short Stories, the O.Henry Prize Stories and the Pushcart Prize Anthology. Her books have been translated into 29 languages, including Dutch, Hebrew, Bengali, Russian and Japanese, and many of them have been used for campus-wide and city-wide reads. Several of her works have been made into films and plays. She lives in Houston with her husband Murthy and has two sons, Anand and Abhay, who are in college.
No comments posted.
© 2003-2024 off-the-edge.net
all rights reserved Privacy Policy