Debut fiction attempts to break misconceptions about America

Stories about lives of Indians settled in America form the body of a debut fiction by Chitra Viraraghavan, who attempts to provides a glimpse into issues of identity, cultural isolation and geographical dislocation.
"You are no one in America without a car. Public transport is an issue in that country. It is still available in bigger cities but if you were to visit Louisville, you ought to have your car," says Viraraghavan.
Viraraghavan says she hit upon the idea of writing "The Americans: A Novel" in 2008 while she was researching the Indian American Fiction for her doctorate. Her novel is set in 5 different US cities -- Boston, Chicago, Kentucky and Louisville.

"One character in my book connects eleven different stories. There is action, magic realism, an energetic old person who has power and there is also an autistic person. The book also has a character who comes in only through journal entries in her English class. So it makes it a fun read," says Viraraghavan.
The author says she titled her book as a tribute to "The Americans (1877)", a novel by American author Henry James.
"Henry, in his book, has raised questions about what is it to be an American. My book is about what is America for Indians. I have carefully chosen that name so that it does not look like a sociological study and adding 'a novel' makes sure that no one sues me for the title," Viraraghavan says with a laugh.

The author, who has worked as an editor at the Oxford University Press, Chennai says her first attempt at fiction is also for someone who has never been to America and can attempt to get a glimpse of the life there.