ON WRITING A CRIME THRILLER REPLETE WITH EXCEPTIONAL CHARACTERS

Author Interview: Kochery C Shibu

Kochery C Shibu lives in Bangalore with his wife and daughter. He graduated from the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, and has served in the Indian Navy and commanded two warships. Post his retirement, he has executed hydroelectric projects. He has recently come out with the book “Faith and the Beloved”, which is a crime thriller. In a candid chat with Chirdeep Malhotra, he talks about his latest book, his writing journey, his favourite books and authors, and much more. Read on!



Please tell us more about Shibu C Kochery as a person.

Kochery C Shibu was born in Kochi, Kangarapady and now lives in Bangalore with his wife and daughter. He holds a postgraduate degree in Defence Studies from Chennai University and MA in English literature from Pune University. He graduated from the prestigious National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla. He has served in the Indian Navy and commanded two warships. Post his retirement he has executed hydroelectric projects in the Cauvery River basin in Karnataka, Beas River basin in Himachal Pradesh and Teesta River basin in Sikkim.
“Faith and the Beloved” is his second book. Many of the characters in the novel are inspired from those whom he has encountered during his extensive travel.



Has writing always been a part of your life? Or did you chance upon it later on and then instantly fell in love with it?

Writing has been a part of my life since school days. As a career soldier I have written extensively, but most of these writings pertain to strategy, tactics, warfare, torpedoes, and mines and so on. It is only after I left the service and whilst working on a hydro-electric project in the remote corner of Himachal Pradesh that I was able to take the time out to write a fiction novel.



Please tell us more about your book “Faith and the Beloved”.

“Faith and the Beloved” is a crime thriller. The book is set on a vast canvas covering the Indian subcontinent and various parts of the world. The book is about individuals and their value system, and how much are individuals willing to risk themselves for their loved ones. It is a riveting saga of love, lust, betrayal, revenge and intrigue.



How has the response of readers been to your book?

The response has been mixed. Some have loved the book and others have called it a controversial book. The book however has found favour with majority of the readers.



In terms of the complexity of the character and the nuances of the dialogues, the character development of whom was the most difficult in this book?

The characters in the novel cover a wide variety, from the highly educated and affluent to the under privileged and the marginalised. Then there are those from the under belly of the society. The character sketching was time consuming and intense. As the author, I find each of the character challenging in its own way.



What type of research went into writing this book?

The book was written over a period of two years and the book’s writing took about 1800 man-hours. Majority of the time went in character sketching and researching. The background of the characters took substantial amount of research to get the pulse of the time and place. Equally challenging was the research to give a discerning perspective on the historical events which formed the back drop of the novel, characters, and events.



What challenges did you face while writing this book?

The novel has a non-linear narrative and a relatively large number of characters and events. Keeping track of the time and space and individuals and events as the novel progressed was an interesting challenge. As also was the character sketching for the characters from the varying backgrounds.



Can you recommend some books from any genre, for our readers to add to their reading lists, that you particularly cherish?

These are “The Guide” by RK Narayan, “A House for Mr Biswas” by VS Naipaul, and “The Turning Point” by Fritjof Capra.



What are you working on next? Are there any new literary projects that our readers should look out for?

A few ideas are churning, but there is nothing firmed up yet.



Can you share with our readers a motivational quote that keeps you going?

A motivational quote that keeps me going is – ‘The harder you work, the luckier you seem’.