My inspiration for writing The Circus Train stemmed from my love for magic and science. I grew up loving magic and continue to be fascinated by magicians and what they’re capable of. I wanted to explore the idea of illusion and reality, and not only in the literal sense — what secrets do we hide from others in a bid to protect them?
My main character, Lena, has a huge interest in science and medicine. She gets that from me. I sometimes marvel at what we’re able to do in the realms of science and engineering. We’ve sent people into space and created life-changing vaccines. It truly is magical.
One of my favourite parts about writing the story is how I settled on Lena and Theo being from Greece. I was living in London and always getting lost everywhere I went. One day, I was looking for Baker Street tube station and couldn’t find it. I ended up walking into a Greek cultural centre and asked them for directions. As I was leaving, I saw a sign for a lecture the following week about Greece’s involvement in World War 2. It piqued my interest, so I went back and learnt so much. At that point, the story was little more than a few lines I’d penned on the back of a few sheets of scrap printer paper. But it really solidified and grew from that point on. I often wonder where the story might have taken place if I didn’t have such a terrible sense of direction.
There wasn’t anything about writing this book that was simple. It was just one challenge after another. I am the opposite of an overnight success. It took me six years to write and rewrite the book until it was good enough to get an agent. And she really did take a chance on me — I owe her my career.
That a little story I penned between a tiny flat in London and an unassuming library in a Toronto suburb has now reached readers from Sydney to Durban, and will be translated into multiple languages, is mind-blowing. I thought maybe only my parents would read it. I didn’t think thousands of readers the world over would find joy in the lives of Lena, Theo and Alexandre. I guess it just goes to show that if you keep faith in your dreams, things can work out.
'The Circus Train' by Amita Parikh is published by Little Brown
Click here to buy the book
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