As the third day of the virtual session of the Jaipur Literature Festival got underway, Canadian actor-comedian Lilly Singh interviewed American writer Neil Patel. The first novel by Neil’s book Tell Me How to Be was the first choice of Lily’s book club. “I really liked it,” Singh said before starting the interview, “I dived into the story and the characters. The book was very emotional. Who did you write this book for?”
Patel said the book came from the experience of an Indian-origin boy living in America. “I wrote it for anyone who felt what I felt was, ‘that I didn’t belong here and that what I was was wrong’. To be honest, I wrote it for myself. I was so burdened that I didn’t realize it. It wasn’t until I started writing through Akash’s voice that it brought forth all these memories,” he explained.
Patel said the response to the book is inspiring. “That is the immense power of literature. It was quite unexpected how many people actually connected with the story,” he revealed.
Singh told the book the story of a mother and son, both of whom have secrets. The protagonist, Akash is battling with his sexuality and trying to come out. His mother Renu is grappling with the mystery of her first love. Singh jokingly asked if he was afraid of any group reading this book. “Because my mom follows my book club and reads that book. There’s some steamy stuff in there,” she laughs.
Patel said that something like this happens in the mind of the writer itself during the release. “So, when you’re writing something you’re not thinking about anything else. You’re just in the story. It’s only when the book is about to come out that you’re like, ‘Oh my god ‘People are going to read this!’,” he quipped.
Patel said that while growing up, South-Asian representation in the US was minimal. “There was Bollywood which was a good escape, but it still felt different from my experiences. So, I looked at the television. I loved seeing people in color on TV. But I had not read Jhumpa Lahiri till college. She was a pioneer when it came to writing about Indians in America. Not only did I connect with the book, but it made writing possible,” he explained.
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