Poet Sampurna Chattarji has come out with her first novel, Rupture. The launch of the book at the India International Centre was attended by renowned poet Keki Daruwalla and author Urvashi Butalia.
Chaotic life
A psychological narrative, Rupture follows the lives of nine characters who introspect about the past while coming to terms with the chaos in their present lives, all in a period of 24 hours. The author’s use of hyperbole was the focus of discussion at the launch. “I believe that only through the amplification of language could I show the sense of desperation surrounding each character,” said Chattarji in response to reviews that described her language like as indulging in “linguistic gymnastics” and “alarmingly vague flights of fancy”.
Published by Harper Collins, the book reflects on the various forms of violence that surround an individual in today’s times.. “I wrote the first draft in 2001, when the horrifying attacks took place (on the World Trade Centre, New York). But more than that, what really served as an inspiration was the proclivity of ordinary individuals towards violence nowadays,” said the author.
Chattarji said that some aspects of the reviews have come as a revelation to her. As pointed out by one of them, her book uses a number of writing styles — a fact that she admittedly has not noticed herself.
