Devika Brendon’s novel ‘Aversion;’ navigating contemporary Sri Lanka, seeking calm in the storm

Devika Brendon is an academic, teacher, reviewer and editor of English Literature whose first novel ‘Aversion’ was recently published. She is also a creative writer of poetry and prose, and her poems and short stories, and journalistic essays and articles, have been widely published in anthologies and journals in both print and digital media. In this exclusive e-mail interview with the Daily FT, Devika shares a wide array of thoughts, ranging from publishing her novel in multiple formats to her routine as an author.

By Dishani Senaratne

Q: What inspired the idea for your novel ‘Aversion’? 

The novel started in 2016/17 as a series of outbursts, which gradually became tempered into observations about contemporary Sri Lanka. Culture shock was part of it, as I had grown up in a different country; but I arrived – as it turned out – just at the start of a particularly challenging and turbulent time in the island’s history. So, the short pieces I jotted down were ways of venting and processing all the surges of response I was experiencing, to all the new complexities around me. But although they were standalone pieces, I began to see common patterns and threads tying them together.

I researched Dante’s three books, ‘The Inferno’, ‘Purgatorio’ and ‘Paradiso,’ explored Buddhist and Hindu mythology and spiritual beliefs and practices, and found Carl Muller’s novel ‘Colombo’ very inspiring. I was trying to work out how a person would navigate this world without becoming caught in the tumult of it. The artist who designed the cover captured this idea perfectly.

‘Aversion’ means several things. It means primarily the oppositional stance that many people feel compelled to take, especially these days, where interpersonal conflict is everywhere. We have hostility towards the society we live in, and the people we deal with. And we feel constantly triggered. Taking an instant dislike to someone, hating something on sight, snap judgments, quick dismissal of another’s dignity, rights and inherent humanity, are all examples of this. ‘Aversion’ is actually one of the ‘3 Poisons’ that afflict humanity, according to Buddhist doctrine. It can also be read as ‘A version’, meaning recognising that each human being has their own perspective, or version of reality, to which they are very committed. That recognition is the beginning of empathy, and compassion, the bridging virtues, which are the remedies for aversion, which sets us at odds with each other. 

Q: Can you share with us one of your favourite scenes/lines in your novel ‘Aversion.’

 Possibly my favourite scene in the novel occurs towards the end of the story, in Chapter 26, the long final chapter, in a subtitled section called ‘Firewall’. The protagonist, an investigative journalist called Clementine, remembers an incident in which her niece, whom she adores, aged four years old, had climbed onto a high windowsill, and suddenly thrown herself into her arms without any warning. The shock of that moment, and the sense of relief that she was there, and able to stand firm in that moment, led the character to make an emotional link with the tragic recent deaths of young people in Colombo, which were being reported in the papers at the end of 2024.

The motif of the lotus, national flower of Sri Lanka, was an important symbol in the book, in various key scenes, and I nearly removed these references after the death of the student [the suicide widely reported on media] at the Lotus Tower last year. It was really heartbreaking.

Q: What made you publish ‘Aversion’ in multiple formats (i.e. print, e-book form and audio book)? 

 ‘Aversion’ is an experimental novel, in many ways. It’s pluralist in form, incorporating prose fiction, journalistic style opinion pieces, poetry, and diary jottings. And it seems to me to be a novel which has a certain soundscape to it: reading the sentences aloud adds textures and dimensions to the incidents and images. It’s also an intergenerational book, in that people of all ages seem to find it interesting. The older readers and traditionalist book lovers like the printed form; but many people like to read in digital format on their tablets or phones, so we did an e-book version and released it on the Kobo site; and I did some voice recordings of the first and last chapters, which people really loved. So, we are looking into doing an audio version too.

Q: As you write both poetry and fiction, do you find yourself going back and forth between the two genres? 

During lockdown, I wrote a lot of poetry. It was such a hugely disrupted period: everything felt unanchored and unmoored, and the lyrical intensity of poetry was easier to formulate, to capture discontinuous moments in time. For prose writing, particularly a novel, I found it challenging to develop sequential rhythms and continuing character arcs and storylines. I have written several short stories and even a play, but never a full novel, prior to this. And it’s a very didactic novel in some ways, and the characters needed to mediate that for the reader.

To me, the difference between writing poetry and prose is the difference between a fireworks explosion and the slow, subtle unfolding of a lily. One needs pressure. The other needs time.

Q: Do you have a writing/editing routine?

 My writing routine is now very satisfying. I spend the first half of the day intaking information from various sources, cogitating, pondering, and then flowing into writing. I don’t take calls or get into chats in that early part of the day. Or I try not to. It’s an introspective period. Whatever appointments I have, I try to set for the early afternoon. Then in the evening, I come out of my shell, and am more social and outgoing. But I try to get to sleep early. I love sunrises, and like to see them. I have friends in different time zones, so that means someone somewhere is usually up for a chat at any time. I very much revel in the interconnectedness of our digital, technologised world!

Q: Finally, what are your future plans as an author? 

 I have absolutely loved writing this book, and I have several more in draft, all in different genres. While ‘Aversion’ is a medley of genres, the others are more clearcut. The second one, ‘His Sometime Daughter’, is set in ancient Britain, and is a revisionist historical tale; the third, ‘Largesse,’ has a plus size heroine dealing with a narrowing world, and is set in 1990s Australia; ‘Hard to Love’ is a full blown romance story set in Iceland; and ‘Black Death’ is a thriller set in London and the cut throat world of real estate. I’ve decided to let the stories show me the way, and take me where they want me to go!

‘Aversion’ is available for sale in Sri Lanka. 

There are physical printed copies of Aversion available, several of them signed by the author, at the office of Jam Fruit Tree Publications, Colombo 3 (https://thejamfruittree.com/). Purchases made online can be delivered locally. 

To purchase the e-book, please visit the following link: 

https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/aversion-2

The audio version of ‘Aversion’ will be available soon.