A first-time Northern Rivers author will discuss her book at the Port Macquarie library in August.
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Hebe de Souza spent her glorious formative years in her beloved hometown of Kanpur, North India and Black British is set in India during the 1960s.
It has a strong feminist flavour and received a 4 star rating from Books+Publishing who described it as a story that will resonate with many people and invoke childhood memories that will both soothe and inspire.
The plot is a journey through Lucy’s life.
In 1958 when India is in turbulence following the collapse of the British Empire, Lucy, the youngest of three daughters is born into an affluent Goan family whose ancestors had abandoned their roots to adopt British culture and language so that they would prosper under the Raj.
Hence the title of the novel: Black British. On the dry dispirited plains of Kanpur Lucy struggles to find her place in the confusing world of a now independent India.
What follows is a richly detailed account of her experiences of school with German nuns, her family’s Christmas celebrations and her extended family’s eccentricities where she learns the nuances and undercurrents of human interaction.
With her family's dwindling fortunes, Lucy is forced to make a decision that will change her life forever.
The story is closely aligned to the author’s growing-up years with a setting that is completely true. Her childhood home features in the book and on the book cover.
Hebe de Souza will discuss Black British at the Port Macquarie library on Tuesday August 9.
Black British is published by Ventura Press (Sydney) and in bookshops now.
About the author
Hebe de Souza spent her glorious formative years in her beloved hometown of Kanpur, North India.
Her first novel, Black British, is based on her experiences growing up in an affluent Goan family in postIndependence India, a nation recently emerged from the shadows of the British Empire.
She currently lives with her husband in Tweed Valley where the magpies sing them awake every morning. You can find her at www.hebedesouzaauthor.com