AuthorSpeak
Her father’s daughter A chat with Anusha Subramanian
Book Link Correspondent
Anusha Subramanian wrote her first book The Heirs of Catriona when she was only 13. She has recently published her second book Never Gone, which is a more realistic portrayal of life as teenagers know it. Penguin approached Ravi Subramanian’s daughter to do a YA (Young Adult) novel that involved a death somehow. But she didn’t want to write the stereotypical (though this book is stereotypical in many ways) romance with a tragic death. This book wasn’t the result of a sudden idea but it was the product of many hours of storyline plotting and characterisation, she says.
At what age did you start reading and which was that first book that sparked your interest in reading and literature?
I started reading when I was very, very young (pre-school maybe XD), and that is largely due to the influence of my mother and other family members who are voracious readers. I still remember the first book that my parents bought me: The Gingerbread Man (ladybird series) and my dad and I used to sit in the evenings and read it together. I would stumble over the words and get stuck multiple times but my father would patiently teach me how to say the words and explain their meanings. Eventually, I read it so many times that I knew the entire book by heart. Reading is something that I’ve been doing ever since I remember. I can’t remember how life was when I didn’t read. I had these whole phases where I would read only one kind of book. First was the classics phase where I read abridged versions of Black Beauty, White Fang etc since I was still very young. Then I went through the usual Nancy Drew phase and then the Georgette Heyer phase. After that it was Percy Jacksons and Harry Potter and of course, more trashy-teenage-novels.
You wrote your first book at a very early stage in your life. How was it received by readers? What are your expectations with this one?
I think there was more praise on the fact that I had actually written a book at that age than too much analysis into the actual book. The target audience loved it but of course there were a few flaws in it. On the other hand, the response to Never Gone has been better than I would ever have expected! Boys have messaged/emailed me saying they loved my book and that they can relate a lot to the characters! This really makes me happy since I didn’t think guys were likely to pick up this book only because it’s very emotional. A lot of people have told me that they identify with the characters and that is literally all I wanted out of this book. I wanted to make this as relatable as possible and when readers tell me their favourite character (and why), it really makes my day.
Who is the target audience for you?
I intended the target audience to be around my age—16-year-olds but there are a lot of people not in this age group who have read it. These readers are usually older and I’m really glad to say that they too have enjoyed this book but in a different sense. For them the experience is more nostalgic while the 16 year olds can actually relate to it.
Who is your favourite character in the book Never Gone? Which character did you have most fun writing about?
Kavya! She was just so bitchy and snarky that I have insane amounts of fun writing about her! And also it was amazing bringing out the good parts in her and showing the character development too! Nikhil and Kavya was THE BEST relationship to write about. I also loved writing about Aakash and Ananya since that was a very intimate relationship that I truly loved.
Is there any character that has a likeness to you?
Haha no no. I wouldn’t be able to write about myself without being too critical or too appreciative. So I steer clear of that!
How influential has the figure of your father as a writer been in shaping you to be the writer you are today?
Very! But not in the sense that you would expect. Of course he has been a constant source of inspiration and support but he did the best thing that any parent can do—he left me alone and let me find my own way of doing things. He hasn’t ever touched my writing, which is the reason we both have very different writing styles. In fact, he didn’t even know the plot or even the names of the characters of Never Gone till I was done with it. Letting me evolve was the best way he shaped me.
