‘The book is about finding hope in forgiveness and love’

Says journalist-turned-writer Bikash Sangraula on his debut novel 'Unlikely Storytellers'

A journalist for over 12 years, Bikash Sangraula has finally found his way to his soul-project: fiction writing. His debut book 'Unlikely Storytellers,' published by nepa~laya is to be launched on July 28 at the British Council. Currently corresponding for Kyodo News, a Japanese news agency, Sangraula has previously written for The Christian Science Monitor, The Washington Post and Inter Press Service.

Republica's Prashanti Paudyal caught up with him to talk about his latest offering.

Tell us a little about 'Unlikely Storytellers.'

The protagonist is a journalist who is tired of his job because of the civil war that claimed the lives of many people, coupled with the frustrating political transition, and is rather interested in exploring the psyche of traumatized people. The book consists of multiple stories and has many flashbacks. It covers issues like migration, love, sex, and extramarital affairs among other burning issues. The book is about finding hope in forgiveness and love. All the characters in the end find solace.

How long did it take to finish writing the book?

I started writing in September 2013 and by the end of October same year, the first draft was ready. However, long before I actually sat down to write, I started writing it in my head...and that took years.

Is 'Unlikely Storytellers' targeted to a certain group of readers?

Well, everyone who can read in English are my target readers. We've tried our best to work it out in a way for even foreigners to comprehend what the book deals with.

Did your 12-year long career in journalism stifle the "flowery-writer" within you?

Yes, I remember myself using flowery language before I undertook journalism. Reporting required a different kind of writing style. You had a report a story within a set word count and follow strict deadlines. Hence, brevity had taken over my descriptive style of writing, which I only realized while working on this book.

However, I also cannot ignore the fact that journalism helped me gain exposure in so many levels. It took me to nooks and corners of Nepal, the knowledge of which immensely helped me while writing this book.

Since the protagonist in the book is a journalist, too, how much of you can we find in him?

This is not my story. But since I've written this book, not just the journalist (protagonist) but even the rest of the characters have some elements of me. I tried to stay away from the story as far as I could but since it's a product of my mind, I can't claim that I'm not there.

Any message to the readers?

The book follows a serious genre but it's not a moral tale. I'm not attempting to teach anything to anybody. However, after reading the book, I do expect the readers to feel more oneness with themselves and the world around. I hope my readers will step outside from their comfort zones after reading the book.