Not chick lit!

Jaishree Misra says her latest novel, Secrets & Lies, is all about how past actions can infect every aspect of life

Not chick lit!

Jaishree Misra says her latest novel, Secrets & Lies, is all about how past actions can infect every aspect of life

Jaishree Misra, the author, who has worked with children and teenagers who have special needs, in the department of social services at Buckinghamshire, and as a local radio journalist at the BBC, fields questions on herself and her book, in an email interview with MiD DAY.

Keen ear for conversation: Jaishree Mishra talks about her challenges in writing

Do you fear that your novel could be dismissed as 'chick lit'?
The tag of 'chick lit' per se doesn't worry me particularly, mostly because I know that some very clever people like Helen Fielding are very skillfully producing material in the genre, which is read by millions. Many chick lit books also tackle difficult themes, albeit in light, readable, accessible ways. Marian Keyes' latest book, This Charming Man, on domestic violence, comes to mind. My only concern with the tag being applied to Secrets & Lies is that it may be a misnomer as most people expect chick lit to contain dollops of romance and comedy (the book world's equivalent of the rom-com, I suppose) and this book doesn't have much of either of those. Also, the slight pejorative sense carried by the term generally works as a huge turn-off for men and perhaps lots of potential female readers who may otherwise enjoy my book.
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Child sexual abuse is merely hinted at in this story; was it a deliberate technique?
Detailing that aspect of the story would have led to another book, I think, and perhaps another 100 odd pages! These are the kind of choices a fiction writer has to make, deciding how far to take authorial 'omniscience' to tell the story from different characters' points-of-view. Lily's own story had to take a back-seat as the main thrust of the narrative is the friendship of the four women who were involved in her death.u00a0u00a0

Why do the women in Secrets & Lies lead such predictable lives? Even a character like Anita, the rebel, has stereotypical struggles. In your opinion, are women, world over, fighting the same battles they did decades ago?
Sadly, I don't believe there have been any dramatic changes. I can speak only for British working life but the glass ceiling still persists and, when you're both Asian and female, you're definitely facing a double-bind.u00a0u00a0

You have led a brave life yourself, having made unconventional choices. What would you describe as your greatest challenges and your happiest moments as a career woman, mother and writer?
I don't see myself as 'brave' u2013 just a pragmatic sort who generally gets on with the job at hand! But I'm an incurable optimist as well so that must help in the things I need to face. My daughter brings joy in curious ways; her learning disability means that, sometimes, the tiniest of achievements can bring masses of joy. I'm proudest of myself when I manage to juggle being all those things (mother, wife, daughter, friend, career woman, writer etc) with some amount of success u2013 although there are nights when I fall into bed unconscious because I haven't an ounce of energy left!u00a0u00a0

Secrets and Lies is largely about power politics in marriages and in extended families. Do you choose to consciously write on the darker side of marriage?
Actually that's the next book, the work-in-progress! I consider Secrets & Lies a study of friendship, an exploration of how nourishing a force friendship can be in women's lives and the lengths women will go to in the name of friendship. It's also about guilt, and how past actions can sometimes infect every aspect of life.

Samira's character holds a special charm, as does her family. Did you find yourself treating some of your characters with more empathy than the others? How much of an insider are you in this book?
I'm an insider in as much as I identify with the friendship aspect of the book. As I and a large part of my friends and acquaintances moved into our forties, I found that female friendship was becoming an important support system and I wanted to explore this. I liked all four of the main characters in Secrets & Lies and there are bits of me lurking in each one of them.
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You have a sharp ear for conversations be it with the girls in class, the mom-in-law and daughter-in-law or the women who lunch. Does people watching come naturally to you? Has this ability done a lot of value-add to your novels?
I think you have to be an observer to be able to write convincing fiction. I'm fairly gregarious by nature and am surrounded by people a great deal so I guess, at some level, I'm 'people-watching' all the time. I do enjoy writing dialogue as it seems to fly from my head straight onto the page with barely an effort at all.u00a0u00a0

How would you describe your own evolution as a writer over the years in choice of theme and treatment?
I've tackled the themes of marriage, divorce, first love re-found and bereavement even in my first three books and was consciously taking on a lighter, happier theme with this book, which was fun. I've also experimented a bit with first-person/ third-person narrative styles although I've never strayed out of the realm of fiction. My biggest challenge was with the historical novel I wrote in 2007, both in learning how to research and using research material for translating into fiction. I do like trying my hand at slightly different things each time so, one day, I might turn my hand to non-fiction or children's writing.u00a0u00a0u00a0

How have the promotional tours been? Any fascinating insights from your readers that make you examine your own novel in new light?
Always! It's great meeting readers because they suddenly bring meaning and reality to what is otherwise a very lonely craft. Yesterday, I was with 60 college students in Delhi, conducting a sort of fiction master-class, and the Q&A session was at least as illuminating for me, as I hope the class was for them!u00a0u00a0u00a0
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Have you begun work on your next book? Do you blog?
No, I'm not a blogger but only because I already have rather a lot on my plate. But, now that I'm resigning from my job and moving back to India, it's something I might contemplate, perhaps as an add-on to my website. I'm hoping to set up a residential unit for young people with learning disabilities in Delhi, and a written record of its progress (or not, as the case may be!), will be fascinating for me to have a look back on when it's done. I'd like to think it could inspire others in some way too.

What the book's about
Anita, Zeba, Bubbles and Sam have a friendship that spans over twenty years a friendship born out of their years at a girls' school in Delhi in the early 1990s. Beautiful, intelligent and secretive, they were the top clique, the girls everyone wanted to impress until the arrival of fifteen-year-old Lily D'Souza who instantly threatens their superiority.

Now, Anita, Sam and Bubbles live in London. Bubbles is the pampered but bored wife of a billionaire, Anita is a top journalist working for the BBC, whilst Sam tries hard to be a trophy wife for her corporate lawyer husband.

Zeba remained in India, and now lives a life of unimaginable luxury as the reigning Bollywood queen.

Coming together for a school reunion, the women must confront a secret that has haunted their adult lives:

Lily's death on the night of their school prom, and the open verdict which shielded their possible involvement in it. Can their friendship stand the strain?