Spotlight of Sleeping In The Sun by Joanne Howard

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TYPORAMA
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SLEEPING IN THE SUN

JOANNE HOWARD

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ALL INFORMATION IN THIS POST IS COURTESY OF SIMONE JUNG | PUBLICIST | BOOKS FORWARD.

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Set off to British-ruled India as a young boy and his 40-year-old servant uncover dark truths hidden within the boy’s family in this historical debut by Joanne Howard. 

Sleeping in the Sun follows young George Hinton and his Indian servant, Arthur as truths unfold around a mysterious family friend who comes to live with the Hintons.

Using her family’s personal history as missionaries in India, debut author Joanne Howard pens a scandalous story of intrigue, identity, and retribution from two different perspectives, interweaving the experiences of someone with privilege and someone without. 

With rich descriptions of the Indian landscape, Sleeping in the Sun delivers a unique perspective from two people commonly ignored in British India.

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 October 22, 2024

She Writes Press

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PRAISE FOR SLEEPING IN THE SUN:

Sleeping in the Sun is a novel impossible to put down. A cinematic study of imperialism and the scars it has left. An outstanding debut.”—Willy Vlautin, author of The Night Always Comes and The Motel Life

“With meticulous attention to detail, Howard paints a vivid portrait of colonial India through the perspectives of an American family and their Indian servant, skillfully blending historical events with familial moments. Through the eyes of her characters, readers are transported to a world where identities are questioned and the true meaning of home is explored. As the narrative builds toward an explosive climax, Sleeping in the Sun becomes more than just a story—it is a poignant exploration of the human experience that resonates far beyond the last chapter.”—Veena Rao, author of Purple Lotus

“Joanne Howard’s Sleeping in the Sun is a quiet and deeply moving novel, a story of a nation trying to reclaim itself, while one man and one boy try to discover who they are themselves. Howard shows us all this not by looking at the big picture, but at the individuals caught at the center of their sometimes conflicting, sometimes heartbreaking goals. A beautiful story, beautifully revealed.”—Pete Fromm, author of Indian Creek Chronicles

“This is at once a gripping page-turner and book to savor and admire. It will light up your imagination and endure in your mind alongside all the memories from your real life. I was sad to see it end but delighted to welcome this impressive new voice into American literature. Joanne Howard is a writer to watch.”—Valerie Laken, author of Dream House and Separate Kingdoms

“Exquisitely rendered and highly nuanced, Joanne Howard’s debut novel, Sleeping in the Sun, immerses readers into the world of young American Gene Hinton as he comes of age in rural India in the 1930s. Battling inner and outer demons, Gene forms a unique bond with the Hintons’ Indian servant, Arthur, and gains an eye into life’s underbelly. Sumptuously written and detailed, this novel is destined to become a classic. A triumph!”—Ashley E. Sweeney, author of Eliza Waite

“Howard explores the tribulations and tragic ironies of imperialism in British India. Relationships are not what they appear to be, people have hidden dark sides, and one person’s faith is another’s sin. After a crime has been committed, it must be determined who did what and why. Yet Howard leaves you wondering who are the good guys and who are the bad guys in a country where religion and culture have been forcibly imposed. A thoughtful read, using historical fiction to shine light on the praxis of decolonization in our current century.”—Jude Berman, author of The Die and The Vow

“In this gorgeously written book, Joanne Howard explores the corrupting influence of power, both within the family structure and the broader world. Rich with sensory details and vividly drawn characters both human and animal, Sleeping in the Sun is a stunning novel that grabs your emotions and doesn’t let go.”—Ginny Kubitz Moyer, author of A Golden Life

“Howard writes with vivid intensity [...]. The tale unfolds cinematically with lush descriptive prose; you will fully sense the streets and inhabitants of this Indian city and its countryside. But the real depth of this story lies within the relationships [...] both the raw attitudinal differences and the subtle undercurrents the characters either endure or ignore. Twelve-year-old Gene is the heart of the book, the most insightful of all, and the voice you will come to rely upon.”—Francine Falk-Allen, author of A Wolff in the Family and Not a Poster Child

“Large and saga-like in scope, and set in 1930s India, Joanne Howard's Sleeping in the Sun delivers a compassionate portrayal of a missionary family as they struggle to navigate the personal and political crosscurrents of enchantment, terror, love, and deceit. What I admire most in her debut novel is the courage with which this writer lifts the masks of disguise from her characters and reveals, as if superimposed on the place itself, that secret, interior world of human emotions.”—Jack Driscoll, author of 20 Stories: New & Selected

“Set against the backdrop of India in the 1930s, Sleeping in the Sun tells the story of the Hintons, a family of American missionaries sent to bring Christianity to the city of Midnapore. Told from the point of view of Gene, the Hintons’ youngest son, and Arthur, their Indian servant, this sweeping historical novel flawlessly transports readers to another time and place. Political, racial, and interpersonal conflicts ensure you won’t be able to put it down. I know I couldn’t.”—Susen Edwards, author of What a Trip and Lookin’ for Love

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ABOUT SLEEPING IN THE SUN:

Unlikely friends uncover cruel reality of British-led India

Loyalty and identity go to war in historical fiction debut inspired by author’s true family history.

Whisk away to India in this compulsive novel of two unlikely people who discover hidden truths about a high-ranking British official set against the backdrop of  colonial rule. Sleeping in the Sun transports readers to the past where a young American and his Indian servant must face the reality behind a faithful family friend and the consequences of knowing this truth. A must-read for fans of The Poisonwood Bible and The Inheritance of Loss.

While originally a part of her MFA thesis at Pacific University, this explosive novel dives into the author’s own grandfather’s story of living as a Christian missionary in British India. Through her extensive research on the British Raj, the work of her grandfather’s missionary group, the effects of colonization in India, and the rich descriptions of India in the early 20th century, Joanne’s story weaves a cinematic tale of discrimination and privilege showcasing the enduring impact of imperialism and the spark of revolution.

In the last years of the British Raj, an American missionary family stays on in Midnapore, India. Though the Hintons enjoy white privileges, they have never been accepted by British society and instead run a boarding house on the outskirts of town where wayward native Indians come to find relief. Young Gene Hinton can’t get out from under the thumb of his three older brothers, and the only person he can really relate to is Arthur, his family’s Indian servant. But when Uncle Ellis, a high-ranking British judge, suddenly arrives and announces he’ll be staying indefinitely in their humble house, far from his prestigious post in Himalayan foothills, life as Gene knows it is interrupted. While his brothers are excited at the judge’s arrival, he is skeptical as to why this important man is hiding out with them in the backwaters of Bengal.

Also skeptical is Arthur. Then an Indian woman appears on their doorstep—and, after growing close to her, he learns the sinister truth about the judge. Torn between a family that has provided him shelter, work, and purpose his whole life and the escalating outrage of his countrymen, Arthur must decide where his loyalties lie—and the Hintons must decide if they can still call India home.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Joanne Howard is an Asian American writer from California. She holds an MFA in writing from Pacific University. 

Her poetry received an honorable mention from Stanford University’s 2019 Paul Kalanithi Writing Award. 

Her fiction has been published in The Catalyst by UC Santa Barbara, The Metaworker Literary Magazine and the Marin Independent Journal and her nonfiction has been published in Another New Calligraphy and The Santa Barbara Independent. 

She lives in Santa Rosa, CA. Find out more at her website.

Follow Joanne Howard on social media:

Instagram: @joannesbooks

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An Interview with Joanne Howard

1. What message do you hope to convey about colonialism and identity through the Hinton family’s story and interactions? 

It’s definitely not a favorable portrait of colonialism; even though the main character, Gene, is a young boy with a naive view of the world, I didn’t want it to come off as unserious or easy going on the British Raj. But I also didn’t want history to be front and center to the book, but rather serve as a backdrop for the human story going on between the Hintons, Arthur, and the judge. Even though the novel is influenced by these huge forces of historical events, what I still hope readers take away is the detail of the everyday. 

2. How does the Hintons’ family story relate/differ from your own family’s history?

My grandfather was born and raised in India, and his first language was Bengali, but for the rest of his life he never returned to India because he knew it would have changed so much, and the India of his youth no longer existed. So this idea of “is India home?” I think was a question in real life for my grandfather and for the Hintons. 

3. How does your background as an Asian-American writer influence your portrayal of cross-cultural interactions and historical events in your novel

I was able to draw from my own experience as a mixed-race Asian American to inspire this dual reality that the Hintons occupy, and to a lesser extent the space Arthur occupies as a converted Christian Indian who both works for the Hintons but wants to stay connected to his Indian identity. The novel’s setting where a range of racial identities all interact with each other is a huge aspect of the story, and I’m glad I could bring my personal experience to the work.

4. What are some of the most significant historical and cultural details that you included in the novel to bring the British Raj setting in India to life?

When it comes to bringing the setting to life, it’s all in the little details, from the hand-cranked ceiling fans (punkahs) to the nightly ritual of shaking out the bedding for any critters, all things that I found in our family archives. I also loved including a scene at the Gope Gargh (The Old Gope as the Hintons call it), which is now an ecological park that preserves the ruins of an old fort from the Mahabharata. I visited this park on my trip to India and was inspired by the mythical atmosphere and the way the forest had grown over the ruins of ancient civilization.

5. What did your research process look like when building the world of Sleeping in the Sun?

For Arthur’s character, I just tried to expose myself to as many literary works that matched his background and the time period, and two books especially inspired his character: The Autobiography of an Unknown Indian by Nirad C. Chaudhuri and Pather Panchali by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. And lastly, I took a 3-week trip to India in 2018 to visit some of the locations that appear in the novel.

6. What advice would you give to a writer who is trying to write beyond their own lived experiences? What is important to remember regarding sensitivity in writing?

Do your research, write with respect, and work with a sensitivity reader who can catch any of your blindspots. Understand that you will never be able to relate 100% to the identity or community you are writing about, and that’s ok. If you have done it well, the work should stand on its own merit, regardless of who the author is.

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