Author Interview: A novel about a woman’s journey toward self-discovery

Author Preeti Shenoy is someone who will never shun away from speaking the truth. When she decided to write her latest book, The Rule Breakers, the author decided to touch upon a sensitive topic — the disparity in opportunities. In a chat with DTNext, the author talks about the reason for penning the novel and how it turned out to be an inspirational story for people who feel they are unable to speak up for what they want.

“In India, girls and boys are not treated equally. There is also a massive disparity between opportunities which children from different strata of the society face. We live in an unfair world. Statistics show that the average age for marriage in India is 26 for men and 22 for women. A few years ago, in the 90s, this was even lower. All of these things prompted me to write the book, The Rule Breakers,” she says.

The protagonist Veda, is a young girl of 19 and is brought up to be compliant, sweet and obedient. Her dreams are crushed as her marriage gets fixed. She later discovers her calling in the most unusual of places, by working with urban underprivileged. The story begins in Joshimath, a Himalayan town, and then is set in Pune as Veda moves to her marital home. The book is about a woman’s journey toward self-discovery.

“Veda, who is a smart, intelligent, gentle and kind girl, lives in a small town. She is a prisoner of her circumstances. Like all writers, I draw inspiration from people I know. I drew from my own experiences when I had worked with the underprivileged. I also spoke to many people. I had even asked people to share their ‘mother-in-law from hell stories’— anonymously — and I was shocked to discover the things people shared, even in this day and age,” she says.

The author strongly believes that the novel sends out a strong message for women to stand up for what they are passionate about. “It is very tough for a large section of women to break rules and speak for themselves. In the novel, Veda is empowered when she discovers a calling which is greater than herself. She is passionate about the children she works with. Sankalp, the NGO she works with, slowly changes Veda, and makes her stand on her own feet. It gives her strength, courage, and hope. If the book inspires people to find the Sankalp, in their own lives, I would be happy,” shares the author.

Preeti had many rewrites while penning the novel, as there was a real danger of the sub-plot taking over the main plot. “Now, we see Veda’s marriage growing and changing, against the backdrop of her work at Sankalp. We see her slow growth and transformation. It is subtle, and I am happy with how it turned out,” she remarks.