Shilpi Somaya Gowda Talks With Christina Baker Kline Christina Baker Kline is the author of Orphan Train and the forthcoming A Piece of the World, among other novels. Christina: How was writing The Golden Son different from writing Secret Daughter? Shilpi: Secret Daughter was not only my first novel, it was my first serious writing effort, and that came after fifteen years working in the business world. I had a strong idea of the story I wanted to tell, but very little knowledge of the craft of writing, so I had to learn how to build and structure a novel as I wrote. I was uncertain whether I would even be able to write a full manuscript, but I was very driven to tell that story, and finished it within two years, which seemed like an eternity to me at the time. The Golden Son was a very different writing experience for me. The whole idea for the story arc came to me at once, and since I already knew I could write a novel, I believed the rest would happen relatively quickly. Boy, was I wrong: it took over five years to finish, and I rewrote it many times, throwing out several full drafts and starting overfrom different points of view, over different time spans, with major changes to plot and characters. It turns out that first idea that came to me was just a suggestion, and as I began to write into it, I discovered the story was much more subtle and nuanced, and much harder to write well. It took many drafts to figure out how to best tell the story that had captured my imagination. Writing from a male perspective and about the medical field also presented its own set of challenges and both required research that took time. Christina: Both of your novels explore issues of Indian tradition and identity, and provide a contrasting view of life in the United States. What draws you to these themes? Shilpi: I come from a family of immigrants, a long lineage of wanderers. My grandfather left India to set up a trading business in East Africa. My parents left India and eventually settled in Canada, where I was born and raised. I came to the U.S. for university and have lived here ever since. My children were born here. The idea of being from more than one place, of having multiple cultures as part of my identity and family, is very much my own experience. Im drawn to stories of characters who have to navigate these types of cross-cultural issues, because there are an infinite number of ways an individual can react to the particular opportunities and challenges of being an immigrant, and its a very universal theme. Almost everyone can point to a story in their family history that features a personal uprooting and resettling. Christina: Some authors like to read books that will influence their own work and others prefer not to read anything too similar to what they are writing. What have been some books youve read recently that have inspired you or that you have loved for their refreshing departure from your own work? Shilpi: I read widely and enjoy all kinds of books, but the ones I find the most inspiring in terms of my own writing are those that are more ambitious in terms of scope (e.g., Cutting for Stone, Abraham Verghese); structure (e.g., A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan); or emotional intensity (e.g., Room, Emma Donoghue). Some other recent books like these Ive found inspiring are: -The Enchanted, Rene Denfield. - The History of Love, Nicole Krauss. -An Untamed State, Roxane Gay. -The Light Between Oceans, M. L. Stedman. -Redeployment, Phil Klay. -Americanah, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Read more
Details e-book The Golden Son: A Novel
🗸 Author(s): Shilpi Somaya Gowda
🗸 Title: The Golden Son: A Novel
🗸 Rating : 4.5 from 5 stars (604 reviews)
🗸 ISBN-10: 0062391461
🗸 ISBN-13: 9780062391469
🗸 Languange: English
🗸 Format ebook: PDF, EPUB, Kindle, Audio, HTML and MOBI
🗸 Supported Devices: Android, iOS, PC and Amazon Kindle
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