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One of the most compelling books published this year is Nilanjana S. Roy’s ‘Black River’, a gripping mystery and deeply moving book about the people who live in and around the Indian city of Delhi. Roy, a book columnist for the Financial Times, has edited several anthologies and is the author of the essay collection ‘The Girl Who Ate Books’ and the fantasy novels ‘The Wildings’ and ‘The Hundred Names of Darkness’.
Q. Congratulations on “Black River,” an incredible, moving book with a compelling mystery and richly drawn characters. Would you please tell readers about it?
Thank you! ‘Black River’ explores the aftermath of a crime, the ripples that spread through the small village of Teetarpur on the outskirts of the megacity Delhi when a child is casually murdered. It’s also a celebration of the survival of friendship in a time of raging prejudice, a lament for dying rivers and waste mountains, and if I’m right, it’s about the possibility of resilience in the face of crushing loss.
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Q. The novel manages to provide both a journalistic look at the people, politics and economics of the areas you describe, while also maintaining a tight sense of mystery throughout the book. Can you talk about creating that dynamic, please?
It took four drafts, with tips from my wise agent David Godwin, to get the balance between pace and depth right. I wanted readers to have the pleasure of reading quickly, but also to be able to linger if they wanted to, to enter places like Teetarpur or a slaughterhouse in Delhi, to live with migrants on the banks of the Yamuna River . Crimes, especially murder, have deep roots and tell you a lot about communities and cities; I hoped that readers would immerse themselves in that world.
Q. Your exhausted investigator, Ombir Singh, has the depth and flaws to be a character I would read more about. Would you consider returning to any of these characters again – or are you thinking of turning your focus to another area and its problems?
I am moved – that is so encouraging! Most of the characters in ‘Black River’, including Chand and Rabia, live their lives off the page, but I’m happy to share that Ombir is coming back. In the next book he is confronted with tougher moral dilemmas and a more sophisticated, deadly world, but while I don’t always agree with his flexible view of police work, I admire his ability to remain himself under all circumstances.
Q. Is there a book or books that you always recommend to other readers?
For writers there are several, but one is a favorite Natalie Goldberg’s clear, meditative ‘Writing Down The Bones’ (“Writing is so simple, basic and austere”). For crime and noir readers, I love books that deepen or change this venerable genre – Percival Everett‘The Trees’, Oyinkan Braithwaite’s ‘My Sister, The Serial Killer’ Deepti Kapoor’s ‘Age of Vice’ Seishi Yokomizo’s ‘The Honjin Murders’, ‘Butter’ by Asako Yuzuki, everything from Dennis LehaneTana French or Val McDermid.
Q. What are you reading now?
Too many! I do a lot of reading for the reading column I write for the Financial Times, and our four cats love knocking down the stacking book towers. But one from the present: Samantha Harvey’s ‘Orbital’ is sublime and will make you see and love the earth again. And one from the past: I love the poet Ranjit Hoskote’s ‘Ten Indian Classics’, selections from 2,500 years of song and prose in various languages.
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Q. Is there a genre or type of book that you read the most – and what would you like to read more of?
I’m an omnivore, but my home is in literary fiction, crime, fantasy and poetry. I would like to read more books from the ancient and medieval world, celebrating the rich legacy of storytelling that has been passed down through the ages.
Q. Is there anyone who has had an influence on your reading life – a teacher, a parent, a librarian or someone else?
Growing up in small town Odisha, my father collected local ghost stories, raided the library and passed on that passion for books to me and my siblings. He died three years ago, but he brought the world to our home through Naguib Mahfouz, Salman Rushdie, Toni Morrison, Doris Lessing, Wole Soyinka, took us to bookstores in Delhi and Calcutta, and gave me the best advice: if you new city, go to the markets and bookstores if you want to understand its soul.
Q. If you could ask your readers anything, what would it be?
Reading is a lifelong friendship; how has it shaped you? And how would you like it to shape you differently in the future?
Look for more information the author’s website.
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