My strategy for characters is a fairly simple one—to just be quiet and imagine them.
If I am still, I can hear the character begin to speak. I get a visual image of them doing something in a scene. That’s when I can start writing about them.
10. What are you working on next?
I'm writing a novel that will re-tell the story of India's most famous epic, the Ramayana, from the point of view of the main female character, Sita. I am always interested in how the female perspective differs from the male, and Sita's story, dramatic and powerful and tragic, is a great opportunity. Here's the story in brief: Sita follows her husband, Prince Rama, into exile in the forest. There she is abducted by a demon king. She resists his advances and remains faithful to her husband as he gathers an army to battle the demon king. Rama is ultimately victorious and returns in triumph to his kingdom with Sita—but just when we expect a happy ending, he sends Sita away because his subjects believe she has been "tainted." Sita must give birth to Rama's twin sons in the forest, and bring them up on her own. Years later, he sees the twins, realizes they are his, and asks Sita to return to his kingdom. You'll have to read the novel to find out what she decides to do, and why.
CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI is the author of the acclaimed novels The Mistress of Spices, Sister of My Heart, The Vine of Desire, Palace of Illusions, and One Amazing Thing; two short story collections, Arranged Marriage and The Unknown Errors of Our Lives; four volumes of poetry; and a novel for young readers, Neela: Victory Song. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and The New York Times. Born in India, she currently lives in Texas, where she teaches writing at the University of Houston.
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COPYRIGHT © 2013 SIMON & SCHUSTER
ALSO BY CHITRA BANERJEE DIVAKARUNI
One Amazing Thing
Shadowland
The Palace of Illusions
The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming
Queen of Dreams
California Uncovered: Stories for the 21st Century
The Conch Bearer
Neela: Victory Song
The Vine of Desire
The Unknown Errors of Our Lives
Sister of My Heart
The Mistress of Spices
Leaving Yuba City
Arranged Marriage
Black Candle
The Reason for Nasturtiums
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Divakaruni, Chitra Banerjee, date.
Oleander girl : a novel / by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.
p. cm.
1. Fiances—Fiction. 2. Family secrets—Fiction. 3. Fathers and daughters—Fiction. 4. Calcutta (India)—Fiction. 5. United States—Fiction. 6. Domestic fiction. I. Title.
PS3554.I86O44 2013
813’.54—dc22
2012025671
ISBN: 978-1-4516-9565-6
ISBN: 978-1-4516-9569-4 (ebook)
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Oleander Girl
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