Author Interview: Itisha Peerbhoy, author of 'Half Love Half Arranged'

Itisha Peerbhoy

Itisha Peerbhoy’s interview was so much like the book itself. Satirical, funny, bold and unconventional. I am not worried about how next book would be like, if this was any example. 

So, let’s read on folks, because this one sure says it all in such few words…

You could read the Book Review here and Buy the Book here, as well.

How did ‘Half Love Half Arranged’ happen? Could you describe the journey?

‘Half Love Half Arranged’ started as a bet between my then boss and me about who wrote the better love stories - men or women?

He never wrote his story, but mine turned in to a book that was as much satire as it was romance.

How did the story, especially Rhea’s come about? Did you have a lot of personal experiences to go with it?

I always write about the unconventional people. Never the mainstream. My heroine had to be from my family of quirky, unlucky people who feel they don’t have choices. Or people who are tired of struggling. Once I had a thirty year old woman, it occurred to me that she would rarely be able to survive without being harangues about marriage every single day!

As for the personal experiences, many of the crazy things her friends and relatives say come from my own dysfunctional yet utterly irreplaceable relationships.

Marriage seems to be a universal topic. How did you come up with the core idea and develop it?

‘Half Love Half Arranged’ is about a woman at the crux of a crisis. Since the obvious one was that she was ‘almost passed expiry date,’ the book just traces her reaction to the situation she is in, the emotional repercussions and how the constant pressure changes her priorities completely.

What according to you is different about your book?

My book is different because it’s about the serious as much as it is about the funny. It is satire, bringing issues in to the open under the guide of humour.

I am not flippant, yet deeply observant of the crises people go through today and I bring them to the forefront, encouraging people to examine them even as they laugh.

How would you relate the lives of characters to the lives today? Any similarities?

For every woman who is living life on her terms, making her own choices and being celebrated for doing so, there are five who are still being bent to suit society’s whims.

So yes, whether it’s done comically or by people taking to the streets with candles, women are not free and we have many cages to break before we are.

What was the most challenging part about writing ‘Half Love Half Arranged’?

What was not challenging! I’m still reeling!

Who was it that told you that you could become the author, you are today?

My father’s always had the sneaking suspicion that I would amount to more than the layabout I’ve always strived to be!

What book is coming from your desk, next? When do you see it released?

I’m working on another book which is putting me through the same highly traumatic feelings of self-doubt, self-hatred, emotional eating and the constant desire to cry that ‘Half Love Half Arranged’ did.

And just like the first one, I have no predictions for it, except the fervent hope that I will

finish it!!

JK Rowling or Robert Galbraith

Which book are you currently reading?

'Silkworm' by Robert Galbraith.

Who are your favourite authors and why?

Roald Dahl for his sheer genius, versatility and feel for language! I have inappropriate dreams about him!

What else do you do on a daily basis?

I’m a brand and communications consultant. I help brands develop and design the kind of content that attracts and retains customers.

I also daydream a lot more than I should.

What advice do you have for the younger writers of today?

Well actually, I was hoping someone had any advice for me!