Vibhuti Jain

Vibhuti (“Vib”) Jain lives with her husband and daughter in Johannesburg, South Africa, where she works in international development. She began her career as a corporate lawyer in New York City. She holds degrees from Yale University and Harvard Law School. She grew up in Guilford, Connecticut.

Our Best Intentions is her first novel.

My Q&A with the author:

How much work does your title do to take readers into the story?

The title Our Best Intentions evokes how the novel represents a community; the story is told through multiple perspectives to achieve as much. It also conveys how each of the characters is striving better themselves or their loved ones – even though, as we learn, this can bear ugly consequences.

What's in a name?

Babur was the name of the founder of the Mughal Empire in India. I liked the idea of naming Babur Singh, a mild mannered man, a name associated with might and strength.

Also, part of the Indian-American experience is trying to fit in with a name people may view as unusual or hard to pronounce, like Babur, and shortening that name or swapping it out for a nickname, like Bobby, as an attempt to assimilate.

How surprised would your teenage reader self be by your novel?

I think my teenage self would have loved reading this novel and seen a lot of her own growing pains in an adolescent in Angie. I’m not sure the content would surprise her, but I think she’d be thrilled and proud to know that I wrote a novel.

Do you find it harder to write beginnings or endings? Which do you change more?

Definitely the ending! It’s so hard to know when to end a story and how many loose ends to tie up. Moreover, I want my writing to mirror real life, where there may not be endings, per se – things just fade away.

Do you see much of yourself in your characters? Do they have any connection to your personality, or are they a world apart?

Absolutely. I identify with many of the characters. I’m a first generation Indian-American, like the Singhs. I appreciate Babur’s well-meaning attempts to set himself and his daughter up for economic stability, if not success. I was once a self-conscious teenage girl who would have been quite confused and morally conflicted about when to speak up for fairness, as Angie is in the novel. I’ve also had moments when I’ve felt unheard or alienated like Principal Burrowes, or felt lonely and defensive like Chiara, for example.

What non-literary inspirations have influenced your writing?

Growing up in the Northeast suburbs inspired a number of the details about Kitchewan – including the ubiquity of water, having grown up near the coast and a number of rivers.

Visit Vibhuti Jain's website.

--Marshal Zeringue