Spotlight on The Descent of the Drowned
A new thought-provoking YA fantasy debut that explores
personal identity, what it means for us to be human
Greater Manchester, ENGLAND – She is bound to serve. He is
meant to kill. Survival is their prison. Choice is their weapon. Ana Lal Din
showcases her storytelling skills in her young adult debut, weaving together a
harrowing narrative that examines humankind at its darkest and brightest. Set
in a colonized Indo-Persian world and inspired by Pre-Islamic Arabian
mythology, “The Descent of the Drowned” (March 15, 2021, White Tigress Press)
weaves together tales of power, identity, redemption, and what it takes to hold
on to one’s humanity in the face of devastation.
As the sacred slave
of a goddess, Roma is of a lower caste that serves patrons to sustain the
balance between gods and men. What she wants is her freedom, but deserters are
hunted and hanged, and Roma only knows how to survive in her village where
women are vessels without a voice. When her younger brother is condemned to the
same wretched fate as hers, Roma must choose between silence and rebellion.
Leviathan is the bastard son of an immortal tyrant. Raised in
a military city where everyone knows of his blood relation to the persecuted
clans, Leviathan is considered casteless. Lowest of the low. Graduating as one
of the deadliest soldiers, he executes in his father’s name, displaying his
worth. When he faces judgment from his mother’s people — the clans — Leviathan
must confront his demons and forge his own path, if he ever hopes to reclaim
his soul.
But in the struggle
to protect the people they love and rebuild their identities, Roma’s and
Leviathan’s destinies interlock as the tyrant hunts an ancient treasure that
will doom humankind should it come into his possession — a living treasure to
which Roma and Leviathan are the ultimate key.
Ana Lal Din is an #ownvoices author who was born in a Danish
southwestern city and raised in a small town outside Copenhagen. Passionate
about culture, language, religion and social justice issues, Ana's story worlds
are usually full of all four. What drives her as a writer is developing
characters that are psychologically and emotionally complex, reflecting human
nature at its darkest and brightest — and everything in between. Since Ana is a
Danish-Pakistani Muslim with Indian heritage, she often explores the
intricacies of a multicultural identity through her characters. “The Descent of
the Drowned” is her debut novel. For more info, visit laldinana.net.
An Interview with Ana Lal Din
1. How did you convey your own struggles with cultural
identity through the two protagonists in the book?
Leviathan struggles with a physical sense of belonging in
that the higher caste won’t accept him and neither will the clans. Roma
struggles with a spiritual sense of belonging in that she feels disconnected
from the belief system she has been raised with. Both characters have had
society shape and force an identity on them that doesn’t harmonise with their
nature, so they’re conflicted and rootless and have to dismantle their imposed
identities, reconstruct them on their own terms, and carve out a place for
themselves in the world — something that I feel I have had to do as well.
2. How did you handle the identity crisis that came from
being raised in three different cultures (Danish, Pakistani-Indian, Islamic)?
I didn’t handle it. I grew up confused, frustrated,
conflicted. I still am. I think most people, if not all, experience an identity
crisis at some point in their lives. Mine also came from the fact that I was
the youngest child of immigrant parents from an Indian-Pakistani and Muslim
background. Choosing to be Muslim over Danish, Pakistani or Indian, eased some
of that frustration, but nothing has been resolved. I’m still attempting to
understand who I am. I’m still sorting through the cultural baggage to uncover
the things that hold value to me and discard those that don’t. It’s a process.
A long, unstable process.
3. How did you explore the theme of humanity versus
depravity throughout the book?
Through the characters’ experiences, circumstances and
choices. Some of the characters in the novel abandon human decency and become
beasts. Others attempt to hold on to their humanity even in the darkest of
times. I have tried to illustrate what happens when one crosses the line
between humanity and depravity. When one chooses to oppress, violate,
annihilate. And, also, when one chooses mercy, compassion and redemption.
4. How do humans become a product of their social and
cultural heritage?
Social and cultural heritage is the behaviour, values,
social status and belief system which we inherit from our environment (i.e. the
people who raise us and the milieu wherein we are raised). We become a product
of this heritage when we’re brought up in a particular environment with a
particular belief system and uphold/follow that system with or without
question.
5. What inspired you to start writing?
Stories. When I was a child, my older sisters would read the
Arabian Nights and Danish fairy tales to me. I became so absorbed in the
stories that I would enact them. If I didn’t like something, I changed the
narrative or content. I discovered the power of words. That they can enlighten,
manipulate, inspire, enrage. With this understanding, I wanted to use my own words
to write something that might matter beyond just the entertainment value.
6. How did you portray the current issues, catastrophes, and
sufferings of the voiceless within this fantasy world?
I have woven previous and current social, cultural and
political issues into the setting. Things such as caste system, rape culture,
ethnic cleansing/genocide, colonisation and war crimes are all familiar aspects
of our world. I have explored those issues (and others) through the characters’
circumstances and personal experiences in the novel.
7. What is the connection between your background, the
#ownvoices elements and the issues that are represented in the book?
Like most of the characters in the novel, I come from a
multicultural background, and I have struggled to break out of the social and
cultural heritage that shaped the world wherein I was raised. Moreover, I’m a
woman with a mental illness, which made it harder for me in a culture where
women are already considered a burden without much value, so a mental illness
on top of that was like the final nail in the coffin. Caste is also a reality
in my culture. The perception/oppression of women, multicultural identity,
mental illness, social and cultural heritage, and caste system are subjects I
have explored or engaged with throughout the novel.
8. What are some of the sources that have inspired the story
world in your book?
I have attempted to build a colonised Indo-Persian world and
drawn inspiration from pre-Islamic Arabian mythology, Islam, and the social,
cultural, religious, and political history of South Asia, West Asia, the Middle
East, ancient Arabia and other places over time. Most of the incidents in the
novel are authentic cases from our own world in some shape or form.
9. What do you hope readers gain from your book?
I want to spread awareness. It reminds us that we as human
beings have a responsibility toward each other. To know, to understand, to
listen and to help. I want to provoke thought, and I want readers to feel.
Whether that feeling is anger, discomfort, compassion, hope, curiosity or a
conflicting combination of all. If I can encourage even one person to research
about any of the issues, I would feel that I have achieved something valuable
with this novel. That I have succeeded.
This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases if you click on a purchasing link below.#CommissionsEarned
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