‘Nepal earthquake and its tragic impact on people made me write Laiza within a year’

“The Nepal earthquake and its tragic impact on the people made me write Laiza only within a year. It is a literary fiction, where the characters drive the plot,” said Chaudhary.

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The novel is a one-year account from May 2015 of 19-year-old Laiza, whose parents die in the catastrophe and she and her younger brother, Ratan, are forced to move to Kathmandu with their uncle.

The struggle to find resources and the strained relationship between Laiza and her aunt forces her to move to India.

Once she reaches India, Laiza finds herself trapped in a world she had never imagined.

“Human trafficking, suicides and issues of today’s youth are what I look at in the book, inspired by true incidents, with a strong feminist voice guiding the plot. My father was a part of the Gorkha Regiment and I have had a chance to observe the culture and people of Nepal from close quarters. This book finds a deep resonance with my keen interest in human behaviour,” said Chaudhary.

Laiza, apart from being the name of the protagonist, also means turning dreams into reality, and Chaudhary said the novel has many themes, but it’s hope that guides Lazia to find friends where she least expects, overcomes grief and learns to hold on to life and light in the face of tragedy… she accepts herself and turns her tragedy to something that defines her personality.

“The readers will connect to the novel in different ways, including the many emotions that they may have gone through while dealing with a difficult phase in their life. I believe we all have to move on and there is an opportunity in failure,” said Chaudhary.

The characterisation, said Chaudhary, was a challenge for she found it tough to imagine characters, who were negative, for as a person, she likes to look at the brighter side of life.

“And I hope the book inspires many to do so,” she said.