Suja Sukumar loves hanging out in coffee shops and Indian restaurants, drawing inspiration from naan and malai kofta, masala chai and lassi. She is a senior staff physician at a health system in suburban Detroit, where she lives with her husband; two wonderful, beautiful kids; and an elderly cat. When Mimi Went Missing is her debut novel.
A member of SCBWI, Crime Writers of Color, & ITW, she is represented by Zabé Ellor at the Jennifer De Chiara Literary Agency.
SE: What inspired you to write “When Mimi Went Missing”, and how did you develop the central theme of the splintered relationship between the two Indian American cousins?
SS: I grew up on Agatha Christie and therefore it was inevitable that I’d gravitate toward mysteries and thrillers. The fast-paced twisty plots of young adult thrillers and the complex relationships and emotions portrayed in them inspired me to write a young adult thriller.
I wanted a protagonist from the South Asian diaspora because of the dearth of young adult thrillers featuring main characters of South Asian ethnicity. And since small towns hide the biggest secrets, a small-town mystery was the perfect setting for my story.
Family relationships of every type are crucial in making a person who they are, and I wanted these to be a catalyst in molding my protagonist’s behaviors and actions. And thus, I ended up with Tanvi, a sixteen-year-old orphan who lives with her aunt and cousin after her parents died in a murder-suicide when she was eight. Her cousin Mimi protects her from bullies, and she forms a deep sisterly bond with Mimi that heals her broken soul. But when Mimi ends up betraying her trust by joining forces with her bully, this betrayal triggers the trauma Tanvi had experienced when her parents died. She then embarks on the subsequent crescendo of (sometimes destructive) events ending in the final climax.
SE: Your book is described as a dark, twisty YA mystery. What challenges did you face in balancing the thriller elements with the exploration of deeper themes such as grief and loss?
SS: While writing WHEN MIMI WENT MISSING, I wanted to make sure that I stuck with the key elements of the thriller genre. It was critical to get the plot structure and the characterization done right, with an engaging enough hook and inciting event, a plot that didn’t sag in the middle, and a tight, fast-paced twisty story that thriller fans want.
But I also knew I wanted a whole lot more. I wanted to portray my Brown, Indian American teen as complex, flawed and insecure, touched by childhood trauma, dealing with anxiety and PTSD, and having to face bullying in school. These events in turn mold her personality and her actions; it makes her the person she is in the story. Driven initially by her own survival instincts and then by her determination to bring her cousin home, she pushes the plot to create scenarios which then spiral out of control leading to the final climax.
Incorporating deeper themes not only makes characters feel real and authentic, it also gives depth to a thriller and helps readers relate and care. Therefore, I made sure to stick to the thriller genre which I love while centering a protagonist from the Indian diaspora with intersectional identities who has faced real problems.
SE: Can you share some insights into your writing process? How do you approach character development, especially in a complex narrative like “When Mimi Went Missing”?
SS: I started with a basic plot skeleton. A couple of favorite tropes—missing person and unreliable narrator, a small town, characters from the South Asian diaspora, and themes of loyalty and love for family.
Beyond those basic elements, I also wanted to create a complex character, with multiple layers and intersectional identities, and to do so, I had to shape my MC’s backstory in such a way that her characterization made sense.
Tanvi’s parents died in a murder-suicide where her mom killed her dad and then herself. Believing this as an ultimate betrayal on her mom’s part, Tanvi hates her mom for destroying their family. She shuts down after this, retreating from her aunt and cousin Mimi, until Mimi wears her down with unrelenting love and fierce protectiveness. Tanvi begins to heal and begins to love Mimi and her aunt, but somewhere in her subconscious remains a fear that she may be betrayed again. This fear is triggered when Mimi becomes a part of the popular clique led by Tanvi’s bully.
Similarly, I created enough motivation to explain why Mimi’s behavior toward Tanvi changed. What made Mimi change enough to splinter the once strong bond between the cousins? I weaved the answer to that question into Mimi’s characterization.
Creating teen characters goes beyond the superficial or the physical descriptions. It’s an art requiring blending in their motivations, what they love and hate, what they fear, their goals, backstories, cultural identities etc. It’s also important to show these characteristics change and evolve during the story as the character learns and grows.
SE: As a debut author, what has been the most surprising aspect of the publishing journey for you? How has your experience as a physician influenced your writing, if at all?
SS: I’ve been surprised by so many things, it’s hard to pick one. But if I were to choose, I’d say it’s the pace with which stuff happens (or not). Things can happen very fast, almost at a breakneck speed sometimes where you can barely catch your breath, and sometimes it can feel like there are months when nothing seems to move. I added “seems to” because a lot of work continues to happen at that time which you’re not aware of because it’s all behind the scenes.
My experiences as a physician haven’t influenced my stories, my plot, or my characters, because I prefer to keep the two fields separate. But it has helped with writing medical scenes, diseases and treatments, complexities of the mind, etc.
SE: What do you hope readers will take away from “When Mimi Went Missing”? Are there any particular messages or emotions you aimed to convey through the story?
SS: My main character Tanvi is Indian American, but I also wanted her to carry other intersectional identities. This was important to me because while people within the Indian diaspora in the US may share certain cultures and behaviors, they do not all follow the cliché stereotypes expected from them.
I wanted to show that intersectional identities exist within groups marginalized by race / ethnicity, and that we aren’t one cookie cutter monolith. There are differences, as with any other group, in socioeconomic status, religion, gender, sexual identity, and abilities. Each of these identities brings along its own cruel set of discriminations which may not be faced by another within the ethnic group.
I felt it was important to incorporate that in my story so kids within the ethnic group and carrying those identities can feel represented and can feel like they belong. I also wanted to show that, since these intersectional identities exist across society, readers outside that ethnic group can also relate to my characters and care for them. Empathy can cross barriers of race and ethnicity.
SE: Can you provide any advice for aspiring writers, particularly those interested in writing psychological thrillers or exploring themes of cultural identity?
SS: Read more in the genre you want to write in. I haven’t had any formal education in fiction writing and therefore most of what I learned was through reading in those genres. At the same time, consider reading outside your comfort zone, outside your own identities, because this will greatly widen your world. It’ll allow you to explore interactions with people who seem way different, communities you haven’t ever interacted with. But the more you read, the more you’ll realize they’re not that different after all.
Craft books also are valuable sources of information. I found them particularly useful in figuring out the structure of the story, where to place the hook, the inciting event, plot points, when to push the tension and when to allow a breather, and how to write the all-important final crescendo toward the climax.
Join critique groups. Critique partners and beta readers who write in your genre are invaluable, and I was lucky enough to meet several. It’s important to be willing to read and provide constructive criticism in turn. And remember to employ sensitivity readers if writing other cultural / ethnic identities. Always being respectful and taking the time to help other authors is important and so is celebrating everyone’s successes because there’s always room for more books. More books mean more fascinating stories for us to read!
Interview: SHELF ESCAPE
