Launching of the novel ‘The Sown’ : Mauritian society inspires author AC BUX  

Author AC BUX, Agnes by her real name, is in Mauritius for the launching of her first novel ‘The Sown’. Living in Melbourne with her family members of the two-legged and four-legged varieties, AC Bux is a regular contributor to the food blog, ‘Eat and Be Merry for Tomorrow We Die’. She is a freelance writer for a variety of e-zines and travel apps. 

The storyline of her novel takes places in the 1930s to 1950s in Mauritius. She narrates the story of five individuals whose lives intersect across socio-cultural divides. In an interview with News on Sunday, AC BUX shares the aim behind the novel and most notably, what inspired her to write the stories of her Mauritian characters.

Tell us the aim behind your novel “The Sown”?
One of my main aims behind my novel, The Sown, is to share the beautiful landscape and the cultural melting pot that is Mauritius to readers who are not familiar with it.  

When writing this, I tried to paint a portrait of the unique flora and fauna native to the island. For example, there was a scene in which two of the characters had a picnic by Moka River and I tried to depict the diversity of the indigenous vegetation.  I visited Ile Aux Aigrettes a few years ago and was struck by the precious wildlife you have in Mauritius and the need to preserve it.  

The people of Mauritius are inspiring as well.  I sincerely hope that this comes through in the characters I created.  I titled the novel “The Sown” because all the inhabitants of Mauritius were originally from elsewhere - the Mauritian people are like seeds sown in the ground taking root or like transplants from other parts of the world, and together, there is such a strong sense of national identity. 

Can you share with us why and how have you decided to base the story line of your first novel in Mauritius? 
I married a Mauritian and have had the good fortune to holiday here every few years.  On my last visit, I was looking out from the plane, as it flew past Le Pouce.  It was breathtakingly beautiful.  I decided then that the hinterland would be an ideal backdrop to set a narrative.  I worked with my publisher to have the front cover depict the lush greenness reminiscent of what I saw out of my plane window. 

In addition, through quick research, I realised that there are not that many fictitious novels in English that are set in Mauritius, so I thought, let’s remedy that!

What and who inspired you to write those different stories and characters?
My sister-in-law has a coffee table book filled with vintage photographs of China Town in Mauritius. I felt a real nostalgic pull when I was flicking through the sepia photographs of the early immigrants. That shaped one of the first characters, Camille, who was of Chinese heritage and whose family owned a corner shop.  I wanted to contrast her with other characters from different backgrounds.  So that was how the character Neel was born. He was a child of indentured labourers and lived on a sugar estate.  Back to the concept of Mauritian people being transplants from elsewhere, I wanted to include a character who was a new migrant.  My husband's family mainly originated from Moiyan in China, so that was my inspiration for the character Ai.  

As an avid reader, I love fiction with unexpected twists which I tried to incorporate into my own novel. I'm a self-confessed people watcher. I love studying people when out in public, like at a restaurant, and watching them interact with each other. The first third of the plot is setting up the characters and in the latter part of the book, their connections and relationships to each other would be revealed.  

Did it require you much research work to write about the 1930s and 1950s Mauritian society? 
Yes, I did a ton of research! Whilst most of the characters were fictitious, I wanted the historical context to be spot on.  For example, when the characters had to travel from one point of the island to the other, I researched what modes of transport and what train lines were operating at that time.  In particular, the part of the story which occurs during WWII, I wanted to ensure that the story fits accurately within the world events that were happening at the time. In one part of the story, one of the characters underwent a pregnancy test.  I thoroughly researched what medical technology was available at the time. I learnt so much history along the way!

Why did that bygone society inspire you for your novel?
The main reason I set the story in the early half of the 20th century was so that I could weave in a real life person by the name of Olive Yang.  She was a Burmese princess who later became one of the drug lords of the Golden Triangle.  She fascinated me. As part of the plot involved opium smuggling, I wanted to work her into the story somehow.  This was why the timeline was set around the period she was operational.  
Who is your favorite author/writer and why?
I've got many favourite authors. As a young adult, I loved MM Kaye who wrote “The Far Pavillions.”  It was such an epic read and transported me to an exotic other world - it was the ultimate armchair traveller experience.  If I'm ever feeling down, I pick up any book or essay by David Sedaris.  He never fails to make me laugh with his observational pieces about life.  Even when he's writing about tragic events, his wit and sardonic asides really comes through. 

Did you have a passion for story writing since you were a child?
Oh yes! One of the main newspapers in Melbourne is called The Age.  Every year, they run a short story of the year competition.  The competition is targeted at talented, usually adult writers.  When I was fourteen and full of self-belief and confidence, I was keen to enter the competition, not knowing that entrants were of much higher calibre than an upstart eighth grader.  So I wrote a sci-fi piece about a girl who was a space travelling bomb defuser.  This was a time before people had computers at home, so I wrote it out in my best handwriting and submitted it.  The competition organisers sent it back to me with a note of encouragement along the lines of: ‘Try again when you're a bit older’.