Interview | Avni Doshi on midlife reinvention and family politics in ‘The First House’
Author Avni Doshi discusses her new novel, 'The First House,' which explores themes of midlife transformation, family dynamics, and the societal expectations placed on women. She uses the metaphor of the cicada to describe the often painful process of personal metamorphosis.
Why it matters
The interview provides insight into contemporary literary themes regarding gender, domesticity, and the psychological shifts associated with midlife.
The Booker-shortlisted author of Burnt Sugar (2019) returns with a hypnotic second novel rich with mythological goddesses, headless women and astrological motifs. In The First House (published by HarperCollins), Avni Doshi, who is based in Dubai, lays bare the anatomy of intimate relationships and the upheaval of self-transformation that looks to deities and nature for meaning. Edited excerpts from an interview:
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