Spotlight: Author/Activist Andrea Gunraj

Sole Sister: Andrea Gunraj

Activist/ Community Outreach Worker/ Feminist/ Author

Toronto, Canada

My interview with Feminist, activist and Authour Andrea Gunraj has been a long time coming. I loved reading her first novel, The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha, a coming of age story about a brother and sister who can't seem to connect until tragedy strikes.

I also got to know what kind of shoes Andrea loves to wear (or, would love to be wearing).

 SSC: Andrea firstly congratulations on your book how long did it take to write it?

AG: The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha took about 4 years to write, give or take. A lot of that time was spent in editing and thinking on how to make the book the best it could be.

SSC: How did the characters and storyline come together?

AG: The general idea for the novel for a while before I started writing. I decided to apply for a Toronto Arts   Council grant, which required me to do a proposal and think through what I wanted the story to be. From that point, I just started writing, and went where the story took me. A good deal of editing was required with that approach, but it allowed the story to have a “freeness” that, I believe, was ultimately beneficial to its flow.

SSC: Give me one word that describes Neela?

AG: “Flawed”.

SSC: In what sense?

AG: I’d say that she’s like many of us – we all have good and bad qualities. Sometimes, qualities that may seem bad work for good, and vice versa. 

But Neela also clings to a lot of things that are not necessarily positive. It’s when she starts to reflect on the impact of her actions on herself and others that she starts to behave in a more careful manner. She’s flawed and moves to a  place of growth that happens in the context of tragedy and heartache – again, like many of us.

SSC: What kind of audience were you writing for?

AG: Of course, I hope that the audience will include Caribbean readers, because of the book’s location and social-political context. But I think the story crosses all kinds of communities – its themes are not unique to any one group. In this way, I believe The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha is something many readers can enjoy.

SSC: Navi and Neela's relationship appears to be a simple case of sibling rivalry, what is the turning point for them?

AG: I think the turning point occurs when Navi discovers that Neela needs him. It’s difficult to feel competition with someone who needs your help, who is clearly devastated by terrible things that has happened to them. Somehow, Navi’s understanding of Neela’s need for his support ends up humanizing her in his eyes, despite the anger they held against each other.

SSC: So, does Navi need Neela's support, could she have reached out to him as well? (should it read “could he have reached out to her as well”?)

AG: I think Neela’s in a more vulnerable position than Navi, and it would be difficult for her to help him if he did need it. And for most of the book, he doesn’t want much to do with her, so I don’t think he feels he needs her. But closer to the end of the story, there is a sense that Navi is starting to understand his connection to family and own pains in being alone. I think they do form the beginnings of reconnecting and supporting each other in a way they didn’t as children.

SSC: I couldn't help but connect to the loss and the sense of isolation that both Navi and Neela felt being separated from their mother (being raised by their grandmother) for so many years. Have any of your readers connected with this?

AG: I think it’s probably a common experience for people who have lived apart from a close family member, someone they want to rely upon but can’t access. It’s probably a combination of factors – a sense of loss and isolation, as you’ve mentioned, but also a building up of that person in your mind because you don’t really know who they are. In the case of an absent parent like Mira, she’s still a powerful defining force in Neela and Navi’s lives, but she’s still little more than a concept to them.

SSC: What is the source of the "special powers" that Neela possesses?

AG: The special power Neela possesses isn’t explained in the book – it’s something that appears to be passed down through women in her family, and it seems rather uncontrollable and difficult to define or understand, even by Neela herself. I thought it would be interesting to explore the idea of “magical powers” that, if misused or taken for granted by their owner, could end up being a bit of a curse.

SSC: I feel these undefined powers made Neela feel more powerful than she really was, am I right?

AG: Absolutely. And that’s the issue that comes up again and again – powers or not, she’s still a human being and she still has to relate to other human beings. A sense of being “powerful” or taking your power for granted is not the most helpful when you’re trying to relate to others. And “power” can be read in more than one way. 

Power comes in social and political forms too – access to money, voice, resources, respect, rights, and so on. It’s not magical but it might as well be. Power, both the presence and lack of it, makes all the difference in our lives and our communities, how we experience our world and view ourselves. I believe it has to be used and sought wisely.

SSC: The complexity of race, class, gender, citizenship, and sexuality comes collide in every sense throughout the novel, how difficult was it to disconnect from the cliches of everyday language, but stick to a familiar language where the reader could relate to their characters?

AG: I find it pretty difficult to convey things that are familiar to many of us, including racialization, the abuse of poverty, and the pain of sexism, but do it in a way that isn’t too heavy-handed, overtly politicized, or cliche. My agent helped me in this struggle – she reminded me that the best thing to do is to “show, not tell”. So I focused on the story and made efforts to ensure the story was engaging more than anything else, integrating these themes felt more seemless.

SSC: When Neela makes the same mistake her mother did many years before I felt it was inevitable, after-all it is difficult to grow up without a mother. Why was it important for you to connect her mother's past to her undoing?

AG: The reality is that children do often repeat the struggles and challenges of their parents, despite our best efforts to be different. And you’re right, I felt it was important to show how difficult it would be for Neela to avoid her mother’s struggles, as she didn’t have a mother herself. Neela does have a grandmother, but the woman is doing the best she can, working hard and taking care of everything by herself. It’s difficult for her to be a “close” and available parent to Neela.

SSC: The women in the story (Neela,her grandmother, Kahra, Baby) and are all very strong empowered women, why do they struggle so much?

AG: I think that, so often, it’s the struggles women face that makes them strong and empowered. It’s not necessarily by choice. I think people look at women, especially marginalized women, and say, “Wow, they’re so strong”. But if they didn’t find some measure of strength and determination, how would they survive in a world that does not love or respect them? In some ways, I wish our world wasn’t like this. I wish women didn’t have to be so empowered to survive and thrive, particularly those who face multiple forms of oppression and discrimination. I wish survival would come easier than that.

SSC: There is a bit of history in your work, you've creatively pulled in some important themes and issues and force the reader to dissect the core of these issues . What compelled you to do this, was it intentional?

AG: Definitely, the themes are intentionally included. I’m so very interested in politics and social dynamics, especially those that impact Caribbean people and communities, including colonization, racism, imperialism, internalized oppressions, and resistance. I could read and write about that stuff all day. I feel quite blessed that I was able to explore those themes in a new way for me – through story. It’s quite a wonderful thing to do and it’s also quite accessible.

SSC: If there is one message that you would like your readers to walk away with after reading The Sudden Disappearance of Seetha, what would it be?

AG: I think I would like people to know that, even when things feel impossibly difficult, even when our hearts and dreams are broken, hope, joy, and support can be found. Often in the least expected places.

SSC: Thanks so much for this interview Andrea. Now, the Sole Sisters Collective is all about shoes, what are your ideal shoes?

**Andrea shows the picture of the shoes**

AG: I love these shoes....

SSC: Wow, I love them, they are so high...are they Gucci?

AG: Jimmy Choo...they're not my own by any means...but they’re ideal and I really like them...if I could afford them...