-
Get a Free Issue
of our Ezine!
Author Biography | Interview | Books by this Author | Read-Alikes
Nilima Rao is a Fijian Indian Australian who has always referred to herself as "culturally confused." She has since learned that we are all confused in some way and has been published on the topic by Australia's Special Broadcasting Service as part of the SBS Emerging Writers Competition and now feels better about the whole thing. When she isn't writing, Nilima can be found wrangling data (the dreaded day job) or wandering around Melbourne laneways in search of the next new wine bar. A Disappearance in Fiji is her first novel, and she is currently working on the second in the series.
This bio was last updated on 06/05/2023. In a perfect world, we would like to keep all of BookBrowse's biographies up to date, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's simply impossible to do. So, if the date of this bio is not recent, you may wish to do an internet search for a more current source, such as the author's website or social media presence. If you are the author or publisher and would like us to update this biography, send the complete text and we will replace the old with the new.
What's the historical backdrop to your novel?
The book is set in 1914. At that time Fiji had been a British colony for about 30 years; there was a predominant Indigenous Fijian group, and then a British colonial administration running the country. The British colonizers brought in Indian indentured servants by the shipload to work in the sugarcane fields. At the end of the five years, the Indians could stay in the colonies with land allowances for their own farms, and then after five years as a free person the British would pay for you to go back if you wanted to.
It was an exploitative program. The people signing these contracts were the poorest of the poor, and illiterate. The people getting them to sign were lying about the working conditions and the contract's terms—it was often much more than the five years—and even about where Fiji was; they said it was in India just past Calcutta. Still, the opportunities were better than their equivalents in India. If you could make it through the exploitation, you ended up better off.
What got you interested in this period?
My great-grandparents came to Fiji from India as indentured servants. Sixty thousand indentured servants went to Fiji, and thirty thousand returned. ...
Tash Aw was born in Taipei to Malaysian parents. He grew up in Kuala Lumpur before moving to Britain to attend university. He is the author of three critically acclaimed novels – The Harmony Silk Factory (2005), which ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
A Disappearance in Fiji
Try:
Map of the Invisible World
by Tash Aw
A #1 New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles, Orphan Train, and A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline is published in 40 countries. Her novels have received the New England Prize for ... (more)
If you enjoyed:
A Disappearance in Fiji
Try:
The Exiles
by Christina Baker Kline
We recommend 3 similar authors
Pony Confidential
by Christina Lynch
In this whimsical mystery, a grumpy pony must clear his beloved human's name from a murder accusation.
.png)
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people ...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
