"Law is my career, but in my heart, I am a story weaver and storyteller." ~ Binendri Perera

Binendri Perera is Author of 7 books. 

She won the award for Best Novel Contribution of the Year in 2009 for her book Nuwanakkari.

"I live and breathe with the characters." ~ Binendri Perera

INTERVIEW

Author Binendri Perera

1. Please introduce yourself to our readers! 

Binendri: I am from Colombo, Sri Lanka. I am a lecturer teaching at the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. 

I am currently on study leave reading for my D.Phil. at the University of Oxford. 

I have written six books in Sinhala, my mother tongue, and they are published in Sri Lanka. 

Her Truth is my seventh novel and my first English novel. 

2. What inspired you to write the story of "Her Truth"? 

Binendri: I was reading about pro-democracy movements for my academic writings in 2018-2019, and the pro-democracy movements fascinated me.

People came together from within and across countries through social media and street protests for a common cause; they challenged authoritarian regimes armed with police and military powers simply with their unity, bravery, and creativity. 

I wanted to write about the generation that is shaping these movements. I wanted to highlight how women in particular experience and contribute to such movements.

Also, I was writing this book at the beginning of the pandemic, when the lockdowns and COVID restrictions were seeming to threaten the democratic institutions in my country and across the world. 

So I wanted to reiterate my own commitment to democracy in this book.

3. Writers mostly write the characters that work well with every other person. But as per the story, Shreya's unconventional tactics do not sit well with her peers. 

Why have you decided to give a unique twist to the character Shreya? 

Binendri: I have noticed how women are under societal expectation to be ‘nice’ and ‘likable.’ 

Women with strong personalities I have met in my life have always not been universally liked, but they have been amazing in their own ways. 

I have admired them and looked up to them, so I wrote Shreya to be strong and authentic in her own way. 

I also wanted to highlight the bitterness that develops in people who have suffered injustice and when the system is against them. 

I also wanted to show how people can use that bitterness to change their situation and say ‘never again’ to injustice. 

4. Kindly tell our readers something more about your book title, "Her Truth." 

Binendri: I want to highlight that the ‘truth’ in society is often not one thing but a matter of perspective. 

‘Her Truth’ was to spotlight women’s perspectives and women’s experiences. There are two main female characters in the novel, Shreya and Natharie. 

‘Her Truth’ applies to both their stories. The title invites the readers to appreciate their stories and how their stories interact and shape the broader story.

Her Truth by Binendri Perera

5. Writing a book on a sensitive controversial theme containing politics, law, and unconventional tactics is harder as it contains lots of time to draft the plots and polish the content so that readers don't get offended. How did you manage to finish it? 

Binendri: I think my career as an academic is helpful here. I write academic articles on similar themes I have written in my novel, and I present them at conferences to my colleagues. As a lecturer, I also have to facilitate discussions on similar topics. 

In my lectures, I am constantly mindful that I have representation from all of Sri Lanka in my classroom. I aim to challenge my audiences without offending them. 

In my story writing also, I write with similar sentiments. After writing the novel, I shared the first draft with my closest friends, who gave me very helpful comments. I finalized the draft for my agent, the Book Bakers, considering these comments as well. 

6. From where did you start your research and get the data to maintain accuracy while keeping it gentle and readable?  

Binendri: During the period I was writing the book, I had done research on pro-democracy movements for my academic articles. 

I used those source materials to create Tarusti (the fictional county in which my story is based) and its political complexities.

7. How long does it take to finish your book, "Her Truth"? 

Binendri: About four months. I wrote this book in the latter part of 2020, making use of the lockdowns. When I write the book, I am consumed by the book’s world. 

I live and breathe with the characters. So I am able to write regularly once I start a novel.

8. Please share something about the character "Shreya" that is not in the book blurb.

Binendri: Shreya has a crush on a senior at her police academy, whom she thinks is her enemy. 

9. Law and writing are totally two different things. 

You're a lawyer and teach at the Department of Public and International Law of the Faculty of Law, University of Colombo. And you're also doing other great things. 

So how did you manage to start writing a book?

Binendri: Since my career is demanding, I do struggle to find time for story writing.

Since my career is demanding, I do struggle to find time for story writing. Especially these days, I find that I don’t have the energy for story writing after working hard on my Ph.D. thesis. 

But I am always on the lookout for new story ideas, even while I am reading law books and cases. 

Any new experience could also be an inspiration for a new story. So I am plotting storylines at the most random moments and building momentum to write the next novel. 

Law is my career, but in my heart, I am a story weaver and storyteller. 

10. As a lawyer, often lawyers write about crimes, murder mysteries, or laws. But you write extensively on people's pro-democracy movements. 

So what inspired you to write about it? 

Binendri: Because constitutional law and human rights are my favorite subjects in law. I constantly read about these subjects and draw inspiration from them for my stories. 

11. From where can readers buy your book? 

Binendri: My book is available in bookstores in India. It is also available in Amazon Kindle worldwide 

Amazon.in  Amazon.com 

If you’re based in India, you can also order the book directly from Alcove Publishers 

IG: @binendri      X (Twitter) : @binendrip