Gurnaik Johal on Rivers, Family and Pub Chats

The return of a potentially holy river in the Indian mountains - is it a sign of a new age, a divine intervention, or simply the workings of nature? These are the questions at the heart of Gurnaik Johal’s novel, SARASWATI, published by Serpent’s Tail. Frauds, politicians, mystics, writers, and the family who own the farm in which the river exists, are caught up in trying to determine what the return of the SARASWATI river means. It is a novel that is truly global in its scope, set in Canada, India, the Chagos Islands, and Wolverhampton. It was named as a Guardian newspaper selection for 2025, and shortlisted for the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. Gurnaik was a winner of the Galley Beggar short story prize.  Remember, if you buy from Rippling Pages Bookshop all books are all sourced from indie bookshops! https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/ripplingpagespod Support the Rippling Pages on a new Patreon https://patreon.com/RipplingPagesPod?utm_medi Interested in hosting your own podcast? Follow this link and find out how: https://www.podbean.com/ripplingpages   Rippling Points 1.55 - what is the SARASWATI? 3.35 - the family connection  6.45 - river symbolism  8.20 - characters in the novel  10.30 - family dynasties and novels  11.55- reclamation 14.45 - rippling pages bookshop  15.30 - border conflicts  18.40 - human connection between  21 - romance in the novel  23.20 - the chagos islands  27.50 - how people communicate  29.30 - from short stories to novels  31.15 - being faithful to reality  34.35 - more advice for writers