‘UNSPOKEN’ Explores The Complexities Of Parent Child Relationship Without Judging Either Side

Author Dr. Sharmistha Gooptu is back with her new book Unspoken which was released recently.

Dr. Gooptu completed her Ph.D. on Bengali cinema in 2009 at the University of Chicago. Her earlier book, "Bengali Cinema: An Other Nation," was published by Routledge (London and New York) and Roli Books in 2010. She is a founding editor of the Routledge journal "South Asian History and Culture" and the South Asian History and Culture books series. Additionally, she serves as a founding trustee of the South Asia Research Foundation and editor of the South Asia Archive, the largest digital repository of South Asian historical material jointly created by the South Asia Research Foundation and Routledge.

In an interview with BW Businessworld, she delves into her new book Unspoken.

Here are some edited excerpts from the interview:

What was the inspiration behind writing this book?
Inspiration behind writing this book- It is primarily my experience of being a mother that put the germ of this book in my mind. Mothers are judged more harshly than any of us, and that is because we tend to idealise mothers as paragons. Children in particular can be harsh when judging their parents and especially their mothers. So if somebody doesn’t cook for her children she is a bad mother and so on, society still has such parameters for branding and judging mothers. So what if a mother had a hidden life that was revealed to her child? How would this child react to that part of her mother’s past which she never knew? A past where there is an unknown man. Does she judge her mother or does it lead her to deeper realisations. 

Women's health and mother-daughter equation is the main focus of the book, where have you drawn the intricacies of the characters from?
I have drawn on my own relationship with my daughter of course. And like all authors I have observed people around me, read a lot on mental health, especially during the pandemic. And also spoken to specialist doctors and people who have had patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s in their family. The trope of dementia used in this book seemed a very apt metaphor for mental sickness and mental haze, and the in between zones of truth and lies, unreal and real that this book covers. 

Tell us about the back story of writing this book, was it the typical 'sleepless nights + black coffee' , what was it like?
As an author I am most drawn to a study of human nature, it’s complexities, the darker sides of themselves that people tend to hide away, and also abuse that sometimes lies hidden in the seams of everyday relationships. 

Why should readers buy this book?
The back story of this book- it was written mainly during the pandemic, over a period of almost two years. That’s why it starts out in June 2024, because I wanted to signify a post- pandemic world when life have irrevocably changed for us all. And it was written through a period of sickness, when I was very sick myself and in a lot of pain, and writing this book was a cathartic experience. Because when you write about other people’s pain, even if they are imagined characters, it becomes like a personal catharsis. 

What was the inspiration behind writing this book?
Anybody who wishes to deeply explore romantic love and it’s obsessive and darker sides, or the complexities of a parent child relationship without judging either side should buy this book. It has a heart rending love story inside and also a story of redemption, of a mother through her child. That’s also why I bring in Varanasi where a part of the narrative is set, because it is a place that’s modern and yet so timeless, where you can be escape the cycle of birth and death and be redeemed.