Unlikely friends uncover cruel reality of British-led India
Loyalty and identity go to war in historical fiction debut inspired by author’s true family history
Santa Rosa, CA– Whisk away to India in this compulsive novel of two unlikely people who discover hidden truths about a high-ranking British official set against the backdrop of colonial rule. Sleeping in the Sun (October 22, 2024, She Writes Press) transports readers to the past where a young American and his Indian servant must face the reality behind a faithful family friend and the consequences of knowing this truth. A must-read for fans of The Poisonwood Bible and The Inheritance of Loss.
While originally a part of her MFA thesis at Pacific University, this explosive novel dives into the author’s own grandfather’s story of living as a Christian missionary in British India. Through her extensive research on the British Raj, the work of her grandfather’s missionary group, the effects of colonization in India, and the rich descriptions of India in the early 20th century, Joanne’s story weaves a cinematic tale of discrimination and privilege showcasing the enduring impact of imperialism and the spark of revolution.
In the last years of the British Raj, an American missionary family stays on in Midnapore, India. Though the Hintons enjoy white privileges, they have never been accepted by British society and instead run a boarding house on the outskirts of town where wayward native Indians come to find relief. Young Gene Hinton can’t get out from under the thumb of his three older brothers, and the only person he can really relate to is Arthur, his family’s Indian servant. But when Uncle Ellis, a high-ranking British judge, suddenly arrives and announces he’ll be staying indefinitely in their humble house, far from his prestigious post in Himalayan foothills, life as Gene knows it is interrupted. While his brothers are excited at the judge’s arrival, he is skeptical as to why this important man is hiding out with them in the backwaters of Bengal.
Also skeptical is Arthur. Then an Indian woman appears on their doorstep—and, after growing close to her, he learns the sinister truth about the judge. Torn between a family that has provided him shelter, work, and purpose his whole life and the escalating outrage of his countrymen, Arthur must decide where his loyalties lie—and the Hintons must decide if they can still call India home.
“Sleeping in the Sun”
Joanne Howard | October 22, 2024 | She Writes Press | Historical Fiction
Paperback | 9781647427986 | $17.99
Joanne Howard is an Asian American writer from California. She holds an MFA in writing from Pacific University. Her poetry received an honorable mention from Stanford University’s 2019 Paul Kalanithi Writing Award. Her fiction has been published in The Catalyst by UC Santa Barbara, The Metaworker Literary Magazine and the Marin Independent Journal and her nonfiction has been published in Another New Calligraphy and The Santa Barbara Independent. She lives in Santa Rosa, CA. Find out more at her website.
Follow Joanne Howard on social media:
Instagram: @joannesbooks
Advanced praise for Sleeping in the Sun
“Sleeping in the Sun is a novel impossible to put down. A cinematic study of imperialism and the scars it has left. An outstanding debut.”—Willy Vlautin, author of The Night Always Comes and The Motel Life
Interview:
Where are you from? Tell us a little about yourself!
I’m from Santa Rosa, California, which is just north of San Francisco. I’ve lived in California my whole life, and love our natural wonders here. I like hiking, camping, backpacking, and landscape photography, and you can’t ask for a better place. Even though my book deals with a very different climate in India, I like to think my lifelong appreciation for nature comes through in the writing.
Tell us about your book? How did it get started?
It actually began as my thesis as I was earning my MFA in Creative Writing at Pacific University, Oregon. I was inspired by my grandfather’s memories from his childhood growing up in India. Of course I wanted to explore my family history but I also wanted to do it justice with the best writing I was capable of, and the program at Pacific University was an incredible help.
How do you create your characters?
My family is amazing at preserving everything, so I had a lot of firsthand accounts to draw on. My grandfather’s childhood diary, my great grandfather’s autobiography, and all these vintage photographs were of huge help, but of course it was up to me to imagine the characters in the way I wanted to and that would best serve the story. But for Arthur’s character, who is an Indian man and therefore outside my own lived experience or personal connection, I just tried to absorb as many works of Indian literature that matched his background and the time period, and two books especially inspired his character: The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian by Nirad C. Chaudhuri and Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay.
Where do you write? Is there something you need in order to write (music, drinks?)
I have a full-time career as a copywriter, so I actually wrote this novel in the little pockets of time I could find. Sometimes it was waking up at 4 am to write a couple hours before work, sometimes it was a quick 30 minutes on my lunch break at the park across from my office. I actually really like to write outdoors. For me, it was a way to connect with nature, which is central to the book.
What would your advice to be for authors or aspiring in regards to writing?
Write the book you’d like to see in the world! One of my earliest reviews for Sleeping in the Sun described it as like nothing they had ever read before, which was the greatest compliment. The world is missing your book until you create it. And don’t give yourself a time limit; I’m not ashamed to say it took me significantly longer than I thought it would to write my first novel. The best books are timeless and will find their audience no matter what.