Book Launch The Story I Told Myself

"The Story I Told Myself" was launched officially in Durban on the 16th August at the Oyster Box. The event was attended by academics, acclaimed personalities, bookstores and media. Why Durban? The novel is set during the time of indenture and what better place to launch than in a UNESCO World City of Literature. This is a fictional story set in a contextual reality of Indenture during the late 1800s and early 1900s in Durban.

Shivali, a woman with a dark secret, is on the run. The year is 1887 in Ishapur, India. Remaining in her village isn't an option. She has followed society's rules-be a silent wife, keep your eyes down, and serve your husband-but that obedience has brought nothing but pain and anguish. When circumstances leave her no other choice, she must escape by taking a harrowing three-month trip across the Kaala Paani to South Africa with her two children. The journey aboard the ship is fraught with danger-drunken men, violence, and lack of food. What will they have to deal with when they reach their new land?

In Port Natal, South Africa, Shivali attempts to build a new life for her family on a sugarcane farm owned by the Thompson family. There, they perform the backbreaking work of indentured laborers. Will they find safety, happiness, or new love? Over time, they forge strong connections, create a new family, and lay the foundations for a community, but will these relationships survive a second family secret that threatens to tear their community apart?

This novel runs the gambit of the coastline of KwaZulu Natal, bringing together the North and Coast coasts as they shape the story of this young family.

The Story I Told Myself has won an International Impact award and has

received great reviews globally.

Arvashni Seeripat is a US based debut author who is from Chatsworth Durban, Arvashni schooled in Chatsworth and completed her university education at UDW. She currently resides in NJ, USA with her husband and two sons. Her family is in South Africa and her ties to SA are strong and deep.

The Story I Told Myself is available from Ikes Books in 48a Florida Road, Greyville, Durban Tel: 031 3039214 https://www.ikesbooks.com.