Dolcy D’Cruz
Author Yvonne Vaz Ezdani will launch her latest book ‘Shadows in Time’, a work of historical f iction that explores migration, memory and the changing social landscape of Goa. Marking her first venture into fiction, the novel draws on real historical events while weaving an imagined story of a Goan family across generations. The book will be released by Isabel de Santa Rita Vas, Damodar Mauzo and Jose Lourenco, who will also join a panel discussion on the theme ‘The novel as an archive of changing times in Goa: Memory, Migration, Modernity.’ The event will be held at The Saligao Institute today, March 11, at 5.30 pm. While the central story is imagined, it is rooted.
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in real historical events drawn from her earlier non f iction work. The narrative follows a fictional Goan family across five generations, tracing their journey through Burma and Goa. Although the family and their personal experiences are created for the story, the historical backdrop is authentic. Events such as the Japanese bombing of Burma during World War II and the resulting mass exodus are based on real history. The book also recounts the family’s escape from Burma by boat to India, first reaching Calcutta and later travelling to Goa, which is inspired by real accounts Yvonne had previously documented. By blending factual historical settings with a fictional family narrative, Yvonne crafts a story that brings history to life through the lens of one imagined family. Speaking about what inspired Yvonne to write a historical fiction novel based on real historical events, she says, “Most history books are dry and only express events, places and times. But when I got oral history accounts from actual survivors of World War 2, who experienced Japanese bombings in Burma and recorded them in my two previous non-fiction books, I realised how interesting history became when people recounted their actual experiences. I also wondered how many thousands of stories were untold and disappeared into silence. My imagination soared into that vacant gap; could lovers have been parted and hearts broken? I created a f ictional story of a Goan family with two teenage daughters, how the Japanese bombings affected them and how they had to flee on a difficult journey to India by boat and how they settled in a quiet village in North Goa and faced a lot of problems and trauma.” The two previous non f iction books include ‘Songs of the Survivors’ and ‘New Songs of the Survivors: The Exodus of Indians from Burma’. Yvonne wrote the first draft of the book in about ten months. During the editing process, she shared the manuscript with writer friends, seeking their feedback and suggestions, and made several revisions based on their input. While their guidance proved valuable, she describes the period as challenging as well. Because it was her first attempt at writing fiction, Yvonne also had to learn key elements of the craft along the way, such as developing strong characterisation, writing effective dialogue, applying the principle of “show, don’t tell,” and ensuring the chapters flowed in the right sequence. “Life in Goa for the Menezes family during Portuguese rule is narrated in the first few chapters for which I had to do some research and later other generations follow during the Liberation of Goa and post-Liberation. My focus was not so much on history but the flow of family life and the new generations that follow,” says Yvonne about the Menezes family in the novel after they flee to Goa. The novel explores themes of migration, loss, and rebuilding life after war. “The migration of the Menezes family from Burma to Goa was forced migration not something planned like the migration to Brisbane that happens generations later. In 1942, the war refugees had a difficult time starting life afresh in a different country. And to make matters worse, there was trauma and other personal problems they had to navigate,” she explains. The book, ‘Shadows in Time’ published by Goa 1556, is available at Broadway book store, Panjim, Literati, Calangute and Dogears book store, Margao. Yvonne Vaz Ezdani spent her early years in Burma, where she later married and raised two daughters. In the early 1980s, the family repatriated to Goa, and she now resides in her ancestral home in Saligao. “My life in Myanmar did not happen in the same timelines of the story but I do have an affinity to Burma before I came away to Goa in 1982. I found my roots in Goa and my life is here now. I also spend time with my family in Brisbane. My childhood and the years I spent in Burma/ Myanmar till 1982 were happy years. I am a Catholic but the majority of my friends and neighbours were Buddhist and their way of life influenced me, shaped me into what I am today. I still cannot bear to kill any insect or animal or damage any plants or ignore anyone who needs help. ‘Shadows in Time’ contains bits of Buddhist philosophy which I cannot forget,” concludes Yvonne.
