Clandestine love affairs, a sorceress, a determined sleuth, political intrigues and murders most foul. Banker-turned-author Biju Antony’s first novel, Shadows Lie , is all this and more, all set in a society on the cusp of great change.
Nuggets of family lore and juicy gossip, bits of local history, picturesque descriptions, and vignettes of growing-up years have been turned into a racy novel by Biju. The story unfolds in the salubrious environs of Kollam where the sea, lake and backwaters create a unique waterscape and an idyllic lifestyle.
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Treasure trove of tales
Dubai-based Biju says his mother, Agnes Antony’s ancestral house on an island called Joseph’s Island inspired him and served as a reference for his tale of revenge and remorse, lust and longing, set against a background of social unrest and rapid economic changes. “We used to spent our summer vacations there. Whispers about extramarital affairs, murders, ghosts and lovers added a dash of spice to conversations among relatives and domestic help in the house. It is my interpretation of those tales and rumours that gave me the plot for my novel,” says Biju.
The whodunit set in the Fifties moves back and forth between characters and timelines to paint an intriguing picture of those times of political upheavals and social restructuring that changed the lives of the fisherfolk of Shaktikulangara and Neendakara.
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Agreeing that not many stories in Indian English have mapped the coastal towns in Kollam, he says that he was able to get a ringside view of those times thanks to his late father, Thomas Antony, who used to work in the fisheries sector.
In the eighties, there were power cuts that left the city in darkness. “Thanks to the power cuts, I was able to spend time with my father who would talk to us about his life as a child and the far-reaching developments that came about as a result of an Indo-Norwegian project. I tapped those memories to provide the background material for my book,” says Biju.
His childhood adventures in the backwaters in the company of his cousins find their way into the book and help flesh out the characters of the children in the book as they go fishing and hunting for shrimps and crabs.
Silent witnesses
He laughs when he adds that domestic help in the house also play pivotal roles in the novel. He points that often they are the ones who are privy to all kinds of secrets in a household. “People seem to forget their existence and bitch about relatives, family secrets are aired and people’s lives get dissected, all in the silent presence of these helpers. I have included them as integral characters in the story.”
A cineaste, writing did not come easy for Biju after he took a break to make a film, bitten as he was by the cinema bug. A fan of Malayalam’s great novelists and of Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Arundhathi Roy, he began writing while working at a bank. “I had finished more than half of the novel, when a friend suggested producing a Mohanlal film,” he recalls. The film-struck Biju was game. But the film, Laila O Laila, did not really see crowds at the marquee and in hindsight Biju, is able to put his finger on what may have gone wrong. When he did pick up the book after the break, he found it difficult to step into the shoes of his characters all of a sudden. Nevertheless, Biju did complete the book and then began the search for a publisher. “I got six to seven rejection slips before finding a publisher for my book,” admits the author.
However, the difficulties involved in finding a publisher has not vanquished the writer in him. After putting in his papers at the bank, Biju is now a full-time writer. “I am hard at work on my second book, which is based on mythology. And, yes, I am also on the lookout for a good script to back. The setback has not turned me away from movies. My sister, Sophia Paul, is making waves as a producer with her banner and I have also learnt from the way she works in tinsel town. So if I find a suitable script, I might get back to production as well,”says Biju.
What about his book?
“Yes, why not…. If I feel it has the potential for a film, I will certainly take it up,” says Biju.
Biju Antony’s novel Shadows Lie , published by Frog Books, will be released at a star-studded event at Crossword in Lulu Mall in Edappally on April 20