A romance novel forged through pain and grief

Under the canopy of majestic gulmohar trees and nestled in the quiet warmth of Akshara Books in Jubilee Hills, journalist, copyeditor, and now debut author Minal Nirmala Khona launched her novel, ‘Every Star Leads to You’ to a houseful of reading enthusiasts.

Outside offered a peaceful shelter from the city’s hum, but inside, the energy was distinctly charged. There is a precise kind of charm that fills an independent bookstore when a crowd gathers for a contemporary romance novel, making everyone’s weekend much more romantic and fun-filled. Yet beneath the light-hearted chemistry lay a deeper, more reflective undercurrent.

The panel discussion led by journalist Mallik Thatipalli included psychologist Dr Jayanti Sundar Rajan (Founder of School Psychology India) in conversation with Khona and topics ranged from just the book to much serious mental health conversations.

For Minal herself, the story wasn’t born out of a calculated literary plan; it served as an emotional release forging itself through pain and tears. In her free-spirited demeanour belying the depth of the grief that catalised her writing, she shares the loss of someone deeply important to her, compounded by a subsequent loss of a canine that triggered a flood of emotion. “It was just released out of me. It was deeply cathartic,” she shares.

While the novel carries the breezy readability of contemporary romances she religiously devours citing influences, such as Rosa Lucas, Nicole Snow, Carrie Elks, and Piper Knox, its emotional backbone is undeniably personal. Minnal admits that character traits of the leads come straight from her own personality, and several character interactions were lifted directly from real life.

Protecting the identities of the people involved didn’t soften the blow of writing them; she wept heavily while drafting and editing those specific scenes, leaving them completely untouched once they were finished.

The speed at which the novel materialised stands in stark contrast to her usual process. While she has spent the last five years crafting a children’s novel, ‘Every Star Leads to You’ erupted in a whirlwind two-month blur. Within those eight weeks, she raced from a blank page to a finished draft, pushing straight through to the final edits that eventually brought her to the packed room at Akshara Books.

The definite dearth of contemporary literature by Indian authors is fast-filling with many opting to self-publish and cut the red-tape of traditional publishing. Events such as these and spaces like Akshara Books rise to the occasion to create an environment that connects readers with authors.

Beneath the friendly smiles, swift handshakes, snacks, and coffee readers just want one thing: To meet the author and to read their book even if it gets intense with conversations of bipolar and other mental health disorders emerging.

Meanwhile, navigating heavy themes of grief and mental health requires a quick pick-me-up, and Khonna relies on a rule as simple as it is earnest. “Always keep a chocolate on your person. Be it your bag, in your home, in every little corner,” she laughs. It is her go-to mood elevator, a small sweetness to balance life’s heavier chapters.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Asra Ghouse

Asra Ghouse[email protected]