Joanne Howard is the author of the new novel Sleeping in the Sun. She lives in Santa Rosa, California.
Q: What inspired you to write Sleeping in the Sun, and how did you create your cast of characters?
A: The book is inspired by my own grandfather’s upbringing in India at the end of the British Raj. I was inspired by the vivid descriptions from his childhood diaries, and I felt very pulled to the setting.
The main family, the Hintons, were easy to craft around my own grandfather’s family, and I also tried to imagine what it would be like to be a young American boy in India.
For the Indian characters, especially the family’s servant, Arthur, I took a lot of inspiration from other books, such as The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro, Staying On by Paul Scott, and The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian by Nirad C. Chaudhuri.
I was mindful about writing outside of my own lived experience, so of course wrote with as much care and compassion as possible, but I also relied on a sensitivity reader to help.
Q: The writer Veena Rao said of the book, “As the narrative builds toward an explosive climax, Sleeping in the Sun becomes more than just a story--it is a poignant exploration of the human experience that resonates far beyond the last chapter.” What do you think of that description?
A: I do feel that my book starts a bit quietly and builds to a dramatic climax, yes. If you’re paying attention, I think you’ll catch hints of that all along the way, but perhaps it can surprise some readers that things go so far as they do in the end.
I do like to think it is more than just a story; it asks questions about race, class, home, nature, freedom, and self-determination, but I tried to leave those questions up to the reader to answer for themselves.
In that sense, I think the book does resonate after closing the cover. I hope readers will continue to think about it for a while after.
Q: How did you research the novel, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: I had a lot of family archives to start my research. Several family members from that time wrote whole autobiographies and kept diaries, so that was a big help.
But I also read quite a lot of literature either originally written or at least set during the time period. I also took a long trip to India with my family and visited some of the locations that appear in the novel.
One thing that surprised me was how my great grandfather earned the affectionate nickname of “Pagla Padre” from the villagers. It means “crazy preacher” in Bengali, and he earned it from his unusual practices as a missionary; he would play his bamboo flute for the people and seemed to genuinely connect with them on a personal level. So much so that when they finally left India after 34 years, they received a warm send-off.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from the book?
A: One of the central questions of the book is, are the Hintons as neutral as they think they are? And is Arthur turning away from his fellow countrymen by serving the Hintons? Or is he a product of his circumstances?
I tried to leave these questions open for the readers to decide for themselves, because I personally don’t like books that tell you what to think.
With this book, I was less interested in making some sweeping statement about imperialism and more interested in putting a human face to the time period.
I wanted to make this book about the nuanced human experiences as all these different backgrounds are experiencing this turbulent time in history together.
I thought the unique angle of Americans in India could be a new way into the conversation of imperialism, neutrality, and the idea of home. I hope readers will take away whatever they want from that.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: Something more contemporary and set closer to home here in Sonoma County, California.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I will give a small spoiler: the dog does NOT die at the end!
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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