How I Used My Mixed-Race Identity to Inform My Debut Historical Novel, Sleeping in the Sun

by Joanne Howard

In my debut novel, Sleeping in the Sun, I delve into the complexities of identity and belonging through the lens of an American missionary family in 1930s India. Set against the backdrop of the waning years of the British Raj, the novel explores the unique outsider position of the Hintons, an American family running a boarding house in Midnapore, and their interactions with the local Indian community.

As a mixed-race individual myself, navigating the intricate dynamics of belonging and otherness has always been a part of my life. This personal experience profoundly influenced my portrayal of the Hintons, who, despite their white privileges, are never fully accepted by British society. My nuanced understanding of being both an outsider and a participant in multiple worlds allowed me to craft the Hintons’ complex relationship with their surroundings authentically.

The novel delves into the internal dynamics of the Hinton family, particularly through the eyes of young Gene Hinton. Gene’s struggle to find his place among his older brothers and his bond with Arthur, the family’s Indian servant, highlight the themes of familial pressure and the search for individual identity. The arrival of Uncle Ellis, a high-ranking British judge, disrupts the fragile equilibrium of the Hinton household, forcing each member to confront their own beliefs and prejudices.

The inspiration for this story comes from my own grandfather’s childhood in India. His tales of growing up during the last years of the British Raj provided a rich tapestry of historical and cultural context that I wove into the narrative. His experiences of witnessing the intersection of different cultures and the tensions of that era deeply influenced my depiction of the setting and characters. Through first-hand accounts like my grandfather’s diaries and other family members’ memoirs, I was able to confidently construct a story around the Hintons that felt authentic and well researched. 

Besides the Hintons, one of the most compelling characters in the novel is Arthur. He was also the most challenging character to write. As I myself am not Indian, Arthur’s character required me to step outside my own lived experience. To give myself the best foundation to construct him authentically, I attempted to expose myself to as many works by Indian authors as possible over the years-long course of writing this novel, specifically seeking out books that matched his time period, location, and social stature.

I specifically want to highlight The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian by Nirad C. Chaudhuri and Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay. The former is a nonfiction account by a Bengali man living in Calcutta before and after Indian independence. The latter is a classic Bengali novel about a rural family who journey out in search of better opportunity elsewhere. 

However, reading other works could only take me so far; it was important to write accurately and with due diligence as far as research was concerned, but I was also curious to explore how my own life experiences and perspectives could color in Arthur’s character. I approached this challenge by drawing parallels between my own feelings of marginalization and Arthur’s position within the Hinton household and broader Indian society.

Arthur’s skepticism towards Uncle Ellis, who suddenly arrives at the Hintons’ boarding house, mirrors my own questioning of authority and societal norms. Arthur’s journey of discovering the sinister truth about the judge and his subsequent moral dilemma reflects my exploration of loyalty, identity, and justice in my own modern, everyday life.

Some may argue that one can never perfectly and 100% accurately write outside of one’s own lived experience, and they would be right. However, so long as the author is earnest, respectful, and deliberate in their portrayal of such characters, perhaps this imperfect lens is exactly what meaningful fiction is about. It’s through these differences in views and nuances in life’s experiences that unique connections can be forged, and new meaning can be found.

They say that only you can write your novel, and I found that to be true at the end of this process. Only I could write Arthur the way that I wrote him; he would be a completely different person in the hands of a different author, because that author would bring their own views and personal history to inform the facets of his character. 

Through this novel, I wanted to offer a poignant exploration of belonging and identity. By weaving my own experiences as a mixed-race individual into the narrative, I hoped to provide a fresh perspective on the historical context of the British Raj and the complex relationships between different cultural groups. 

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Joanne Howard is an Asian American writer from California. She holds an MFA in writing from Pacific University. Her poetry received an honorable mention from Stanford University’s 2019 Paul Kalanithi Writing Award. Her fiction has been published in The Catalyst by UC Santa Barbara, The Metaworker Literary Magazine and the Marin Independent Journal and her nonfiction has been published in Another New Calligraphy and The Santa Barbara Independent. She lives in Santa Rosa, CA. Find out more at her website.

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing