Vinod Busjeet on the Importance of Whimsy

At the Paris Review, Vinod Busjeet discusses his book, Silent Winds, Dry Seas, an autobiographical novel that balances brutal conflicts involving Indian indentured laborers in Mauritius with moments of whimsy. “It enables you to deal with such darkness,” Busjeet says. “You need to have the ability to laugh at it and laugh at yourself as well. Otherwise it’s too hard to cope. You could say it’s a kind of defense mechanism.”