16-Year-Old Indian Author Pens Sprawling Debut Novel on the Dust Bowl South

We all have things in our pasts we wish we could change; it's part of what makes us human. From ill-advised haircuts to decisions that truly hurt others, no one is immune. Of course we know that can't change the past, but what the stunning debut novel from Nishanth R, The Fated Sunset [Notion Press, August 17, 2017], teaches us is that we can't run from it either - try as we might.

The year is 1932, and World War I veteran Lester Rupert is living a hard life on the hot roads of Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana. He wanders aimlessly from place to place, surviving on the meager returns from whatever work he can find. Though his vagabond existence is aimless, Rupert makes sure never to stay in one place for long.

Thirteen years ago, he took part in a crime that went horribly wrong, and he can't forget it. One of his accomplices fled with all the spoils of the crime, to eventually become a politically influential recluse, leaving Lester to struggle in the dirt with nothing but vengeance on his mind. As the former partners' lives become intertwined once again, Lester finds himself in a bitter, deeply personal conflict with his now powerful enemy. As much as he wants vengeance, he also desperately wants to run away from a past that continues to haunt him. But as he hurtles towards his destiny he quickly comes to realize how little it takes to fall back into the dark abyss of his old habits.

The Fated Sunset takes us deep into its characters' psyches and explores their motivations in a very intimate way, while at the same time providing a fast-paced, action-packed, revenge novel that leaves readers furiously turning pages even though we have a pretty good sense that things aren't going to end well. With a deft hand, Nishanth effortlessly weaves the culture of post-World War I South into the narrative, prompting questions about to what degree a person's circumstances can act as a justification for the poor decisions they make.

"The inspiration for this novel came from a history lesson on the Dust Bowl at school, which led to the feeling that the Dust Bowl could act as an allegory for the ghosts of mistakes past coming back to haunt you" says sixteen-year old Nishanth. "Based on this idea, I threw myself into research of the time and place, which gave me a few more historical events around which I could weave the story."

"I've tried to explore the faults in the characters which ultimately lead them to crimes and to the inevitable tragic consequences," Nishanth continues.

A thought-provoking, and emotionally charged debut, The Fated Sunset, will appeal to fans of writers with a strong sense of place and history a la Terry Tempast Williams. Perhaps most importantly though, the novel introduces the world to Nishanth R, an author who captures a complex tale that took place halfway around the world from his home almost a century before he was born with remarkable believability, and who is most certainly an author to watch.

Sixteen-year-old Nishanth R was born in Coimbatore, India. He is an avid reader, and an admirer of any literature that succeeds in conjuring up vivid images, be it a work of classic fiction or a modern suspense thriller. Nishanth is also a cinephile with a penchant for stories that can entertain while raising thought-provoking questions. The Fated Sunset is his debut novel. He lives in Chennai, India and can be found on Facebook.