Karishma Attari, a Mumbai-based writer and book reviewer, turns author with her debut novel, I See You — a coming-of-age tale about a 17-year-old girl, with a spooky twist.
Which is the best opening line in a book that you have ever read?
All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. — Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina.
One fictional character close to your heart and why?
Hamlet. He lived in a world full of horrors and was unable to find his way out of them. Our own world seems to be always on the verge of collapse, so I relate to his sense of confusion.
Who among the pantheon of writers (past/present) would you like to have coffee with?
I would love to have coffee with Douglas Adams, the author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. He was superlatively funny, zany, utterly ingenious and spontaneous in his writing, and was one of my favourite authors while growing up.
Antidote for writer’s block?
It’s a simple formula: you turn up for work everyday! You have to sit at your table and treat writing like it’s a real job — which it is. Eventually, the answers will come.
What spurred you to start the Super Readers Club for children?
I realise I owe so much of my character and sense of self to the books I read while growing up. Today’s kids need a little nudge in the right direction because they are surrounded by digital distractions.
Which is one classic that you haven’t read so far?
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
How can new/budding writers prevent rejection from turning into dejection?
You have to concentrate on the craft, not the applause. I rewrote my book over four years and each draft brought me closer to the feeling of completion — nothing can replace that feeling.
One tip for aspiring writers?
I recognise the value of feedback; take plenty of it in. But learn also to accept what is useful and reject what is unnecessary or disheartening.
