David Whittet is a family doctor, an independent filmmaker and author. David talks to NZ Booklovers about his latest novel.
Tell us a little about The Road to Madhapur.
Theo Malone is an idealistic Kiwi doctor. We first meet him as a frustrated medical student at Otago University in the 1980s. Why does the professor always pick on him? Theo wants to change the world, not sit through endless lectures on tuberculosis. Haven’t his teachers heard of AIDS and the new viruses that threaten the future of humanity?
Confident that modern antibiotics have eliminated tuberculosis, Theo misses a case of TB in a debilitated farmer on a student assignment.
The professor tells Theo he will never make a doctor. The death of a child from meningitis during an elective in Uganda convinces Theo that the professor may have been right.
Meanwhile, Australian teenager Elisha is furious when her missionary father announces he’s taking the entire family on his next campaign in India. Anger turns to despair after her mother dies from AIDS following a needlestick injury at a local Indian hospital.
Once qualified, Theo leaves New Zealand for voluntary work overseas. The medical agency sends him to India—and by chance, to Elisha. Opposition to western medicine and growing political tension threaten Theo’s determination to make a difference in the impoverished community of Madhapur. His forthright approach creates enemies. Will his immunisation campaign force a backlash from the authorities? Can his love for Elisha survive an unspeakable tragedy following a brutal mob attack?
What inspired you to write this book?
The subject is very close to my heart. While The Road to Madhapur is a work of fiction and not autobiographical, the novel draws on my personal experience of family medicine in New Zealand and India. Several real-life events underpin Theo and Elisha’s journey through the story. Many touched me profoundly, and I relived them while writing the book.
I worked on a project in the Mayurbhanj region of India with the World Organization of Family Doctors. It was a time of extreme political tension after the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines by Hindu militants.
A leper colony plays a crucial role in the novel. My first visit to such an institution was a revelation. I expected overwhelming sorrow. Instead, I found a wonderous peace and contentment among the residents and their caregivers. It remains one of the happiest places I have ever seen.
The smiles on the children’s faces in those remote and impoverished Indian villages were equally moving. I will never forget them. They had so little but were full of the joy of living. I hope the scenes at Madhapur will inspire my readers as much as they have me.
What research was involved?
I had hoped to return to India to research the project. Although my experiences in India were unforgettable, working on the first draft of The Road to Madhapur, I longed to soak up that exotic atmosphere once more. I had to go back and feast on the vibrant colours, the bustle and the fragrant smell of the herbs and spices in the market. Taste another Indian delicacy with its divinely piquant flavour and drink another cup of oversweet chai. I was ready to book my flight when the pandemic struck. Unable to travel to Madhapur in person, I was determined to be there in spirit. I unearthed boxes of old photographs and dusted off some old video cassettes of my time in India. They brought a myriad of life and depth to my writing.
What was your routine or process when writing this book?
As a practising GP at a busy medical centre, finding the time to write can be challenging. I have reduced my medical commitment to four days a week. While this allows me to commit an extra day to writing, I need more than twenty-four hours a day! Each writing session began by immersing myself in those old photographs of Madhapur. Whenever I needed motivation, the beguiling smiles on those children’s faces always encouraged me to do better.
If a soundtrack was made to accompany this book, name a song or two you would include.
The story encompasses several diverse cultures, which should be reflected in the music. Theo’s time in New Zealand is fraught with hardship and requires a song that embodies that struggle. Top of my list would be Don’t Dream It’s Over by Neil Finn.
Elisha is a rebellious teenager when we first meet her. She needs an Australian pop song from the 1980s. Perhaps Never Tear Us Apart by INXS.
The plains of the Mayurbhanj call for a mixture of classical and contemporary Indian music. My shortlist includes Ravi Shankar and Amjad Ali Khan. They both produce a unique sound that ideally captures the feel of the land.
If your book was made into a movie, who would you like to see playing the lead characters?
I would love my story to give an aspiring Kiwi actor their big break. Theo’s journey in the book spans ten years. He begins as a naïve medical student and, through some tragic life events, finds his true purpose in life. Several young New Zealand performers would be perfect for the role. Nathan Murray and Aidan Veldsman come to mind.
Similarly, Elisha provides a wonderful opportunity for a budding Australian actress. Known for her roles in Wentworth and Anzac Girls, Georgia Flood would be well-matched for the part. As for the host of colourful characters we meet at Madhapur, that cries out for a mega casting call in India.
What did you enjoy the most about writing The Road to Madhapur?
Definitely the incredible memories of India that the novel brought back so vividly. While writing The Road to Madhapur, I travelled with my characters on their journey through the story. The further I got into the book, the more intense my emotions became. I felt Theo and Elisha’s pain and grief when tragedy threatened to tear their lives apart. Likewise, I shared their joy at moments of success and fulfilment.
I started the book as a ‘plotter’, with the entire story mapped out before sitting down to write the first draft. But as the work progressed, the characters took on a life of their own. They didn’t always react as I expected, and the story took a new direction. This made the writing so much more exciting. It took me on a voyage of discovery through the novel that I hope my readers will share.
What did you do to celebrate finishing this book?
Of course, I would love to have celebrated with a return trip to India. Alas, we were still in lockdown when I finished the novel. Now that the borders are open, future possibilities are endless. My dream of a book launch in Madhapur with a Hindu translation could become a reality.
In the meantime, back home, I celebrated with a much-needed break from writing and spent quality time with my family. But all too soon, I felt the urge to start Chapter One of my next book!
What is the favourite book you have read so far this year and why?
I have just finished The Orphans by Fiona McIntosh. Such a fantastic read. Who would have thought the story of a young girl whose ambition is to be Australia’s first female mortician could be so compelling? Yet Fiona McIntosh has crafted an unforgettable story about the bond between two children that follows them across the years. I have learnt so much about creative writing from Fiona McIntosh. A masterclass on fiction with Fiona took my writing to a new level.
What’s next on the agenda for you?
Two new books are competing for my time at present. I have almost completed the second book in my Gang Girl series. With the working title Blood Cousins, the story continues Alicia’s fight to break free from her gang upbringing and forge a new life for herself and her son.
I’m excited to have started work on another stand-alone novel. Threepence on the Carpet sees Tommy, a Kiwi musician, caught up in the hippie movement while on his overseas experience in Britain in the 1960s. Tommy works for a South African-owned bank during the day. But in the evenings, he writes and performs anti-apartheid folk songs along with his flower power girlfriend. There’s trouble when his two worlds collide.
Threepence on the Carpet is great fun to write, encompassing real-life events from the sixties. The Aldermaston marches, the ban-the-bomb campaign, the scandals, the Beatles—this was the decade that shook Britain and the rest of the world.
I also have a screenplay that I would love to produce. Hīkoi is a gritty drama that addresses the child poverty debate. It’s the story of a burnt-out social worker with his own social problems. A potential production partner describes Hīkoi as ‘a Cathy Come Home for our times.’
My brain is bursting with more new ideas. Given the publishing industry’s obsession with book series, I’m considering a companion novel to The Road to Madhapur. It would follow Zac and Rajani, two secondary characters from The Road to Madhapur, on their new life in the Indian film industry. I’d call it The Road to Mumbai or maybe The Road to Bollywood.