A former journalist and a social worker associated with NGOs, Shruti Upadhaya forays into the literary world with her debut novel, White Noise. The Kolkata-based writer and a Symbiosis alumnus, Upadhaya talks about how she got into writing this dark romance thriller, the USP of the book and her experiences
What is White Noise about and how did it take shape?
White Noise is a psychological thriller, a dark romance. There are two principal characters, a male and a female protagonist. I haven’t given them any names, neither is it set in a particular place. The story is about that one particular relationship that completely consumes us. The narrative of the story is divided into three parts — first part is by the female, second by a third person and largely by the male character.
I was working on some short stories. One day, the idea of this man came to me, the male protagonist. I wrote my first paragraph and the last chapter of the book the same day. Yes, I am paranoid about my endings.
Characters with no names and a plot with no physical setting... how challenging was it to write that?
It wasn’t. When I started writing this novel, after 5-6 chapters I realised I wasn’t using any names. And I thought it’s perfect this way as it felt natural for the characters to not have any names. I didn’t include a physical setting because then the culture of that place takes over the story. I wanted my story to be devoid of those things — only about the two people.
What was the inspiration behind writing it?
My book is a tribute to the Japanese author Haruki Murakami, the movie Black Swan and poet Sylvia Plath, who had a very troubled life. I took inspiration from them, but not really from real life people I know.
Was it a conscious decision to write a thriller, since it is your favourite genre?
I read a lot of thrillers but I read other stuff too. I went with my instinct when it came to this book. At that time it felt natural to write a thriller. I went with that impulse.
Did you face any challenges as a first time writer?
One challenge I face everytime is when I do a reading and people ask me if the book is about my life. They refuse to believe that this is not the case. It is a little unsettling to explain since people like to assume.
Sometimes there’s fear of judgement. With time I got over that, it doesn’t bother me now. Also, while writing, I was so sucked into the whole process, that it was difficult to disconnect when I wasn’t writing. It was difficult to detach. I also felt very sad when I finished writing it.
