Date Published: 11-01-2024
Publisher: Troubador
Matthew’s journey takes him from the poverty of a cold stone granary to the opulence of Mayfair and Kensington Palace Gardens, where he starts a family of his own. Despite working his way to the top of the business world, he remains an outsider to London’s elite. He then realises that same elite has an ugly underbelly. High society was a hot bed of depravity.
Will he correct society’s wrongs? Will the man who never succumbed to expectations be able to challenge his own destiny or will he simply accept the futility of it all?
Interview with Arvind Wadhera
Author of Choppiness on the High Seas
Could you tell us about any research trips you took for this story? Which places did you visit, and what made them essential to your writing?
I write about places and regions I know. London is central to the story because it is a living example of societal extremes as well as global business.
What's the strangest thing you've ever had to research online for your book?
Post cancer therapy dangers.
What research (history, mythology, science) goes into your world-building?
I had to research 1930s and World War 2 London. I also had to research the Suez Canal crisis.
Have any of the people you've known, past or present, left a lasting impression on your writing journey? If so, we'd love to hear about a memorable experience that stands out to you.
My mother’s values inspired Gwendolyn’s character. Matthew’s complexities are partly inspired by my own insecurities about a sense of belonging.
The book turned out to be prophetic, as one reader put it. The Suez Canal crisis and the abuse of youngsters in my book have been repeated in reality in the State of Hormuz and Epstein Files. This is only coincidental, because I published the book before the Iran and the Epstein files revelations; it just shows that geopolitical crises repeat themselves and that there has always been and will be a rotten core of depravity in high society.
Do you write in the same genre all the time?
Yes, this is my second literary fiction book. I write the genre because I read the same genre. I am unable to write commercial fiction, if there is such a thing.
If so, have you ever consider writing in another one?
Not yet. I would like to write an biography and have a brilliant subject.
Which character, supernatural or human, do you enjoy writing the most and why?
The most interesting character for me is Matthew Stephens. I love writing very complex central characters.
Arvind has three adult children, who all live away from Belgium. He reads literary fiction and was motivated to write after reading three key books: The Portrait of Dorian Gray, Thérèse Raquin, 1984 and East of Eden. He is fascinated by the co-existence of good and evil. In his first book, Emma's Equilibrium, he relates the story of an Olympic winner who suffers hurt along the way. Choppiness on High Seas charts the life of Matthew from his ignominious birth to his passing away in peace after having become one of the weathiest persons in the world.
Arvind loves languages and can speak French, Spanish, Dutch, German, Italian, Hindi, Punjabi and Gujarati. He is a stroke survivor and rides, jogs and does yoga.
He is a strong believer in the duality of fortune and misfortune. He is deeply spiritual.
Arvind finds writing challenging and frustrating and editing particularly painful. He, however, believes that writing can be therapeutic and gratifying.
.png)
