‘Writing Puts Me in Touch with My Conscience’: Udayan Mukherjee on ‘No Way In’

Express News Service

‘No Way In’ begins with theft and ends with an all-consuming guilt despite the character not being part of a crime. What do these scenes intend to convey?

Class and its manifestations are one of the central themes of the novel. The opening scene––an act of petty theft for which the help in the house is blamed without any evidence—is something that we have all witnessed. Almost as if by virtue of being poor, such a person is bound to be dishonest. As authors, it is our duty to bring the injustices to light.

The book ends without closure, leaving the reader with more questions. Your thoughts.

That is exactly the reaction I hoped to evoke. To me, a novel works when you think about it long after you have read the last page. Many episodes in our lives end on a somewhat incomplete note. By the end of this book, I had said what I had to. If that left you with a sense of curiosity about how the characters’ lives turn out, I take it as a compliment. I never intended on closing all loops perfectly.

What was the intention behind creating familiar characters such as the peanut seller, Jyotirmoy, or the taxi driver, Fatima?

I love these side characters, sometimes even more than the protagonists. The latter has the burden of carrying the story forward. These smaller characters, however, come and go, but are no less important. They can impart humour, sensitivity, and even anguish, without straining the central narrative. If done well, they can lend a novel the shape of a tapestry with richer variety and complexity.-

Which was the most difficult character for you to establish?

I won’t say it was difficult, but I worked the hardest on Sabita
(a cook living with her teenage son). No Way In is her story. It would have been too easy to cast her in the predictable role of a victim, but she is so much more.

Despite your background as a financial journalist, what makes you dabble with subjects as diverse as crime and mental illness?

Financial journalism was my career, but writing is a joy for me. We live in a society that has lost its way, and in a way, writing puts me in touch with my conscience.
 
What are you writing next?

Probably the second Neville Wadia novel set in Goa.

<br> ‘No Way In’ begins with theft and ends with an all-consuming guilt despite the character not being part of a crime. What do these scenes intend to convey?

Class and its manifestations are one of the central themes of the novel. The opening scene––an act of petty theft for which the help in the house is blamed without any evidence—is something that we have all witnessed. Almost as if by virtue of being poor, such a person is bound to be dishonest. As authors, it is our duty to bring the injustices to light.

The book ends without closure, leaving the reader with more questions. Your thoughts.

That is exactly the reaction I hoped to evoke. To me, a novel works when you think about it long after you have read the last page. Many episodes in our lives end on a somewhat incomplete note. By the end of this book, I had said what I had to. If that left you with a sense of curiosity about how the characters’ lives turn out, I take it as a compliment. I never intended on closing all loops perfectly.

What was the intention behind creating familiar characters such as the peanut seller, Jyotirmoy, or the taxi driver, Fatima?

I love these side characters, sometimes even more than the protagonists. The latter has the burden of carrying the story forward. These smaller characters, however, come and go, but are no less important. They can impart humour, sensitivity, and even anguish, without straining the central narrative. If done well, they can lend a novel the shape of a tapestry with richer variety and complexity.-

Which was the most difficult character for you to establish?

I won’t say it was difficult, but I worked the hardest on Sabita
(a cook living with her teenage son). No Way In is her story. It would have been too easy to cast her in the predictable role of a victim, but she is so much more.

Despite your background as a financial journalist, what makes you dabble with subjects as diverse as crime and mental illness?

Financial journalism was my career, but writing is a joy for me. We live in a society that has lost its way, and in a way, writing puts me in touch with my conscience. 
What are you writing next?

Probably the second Neville Wadia novel set in Goa.