SØREN: Speaking of controlling destinies, how come Sanya doesn’t end up with Ravn? I always thought that she would.
AMULYA: I had no idea how it would end. I actually talked to Tobias (our son) about it. I explained Sanya to him and Ravn and Harry. Tobias said that Sanya should dump both men and go on a long vacation. I think that Sanya knew all along that Ravn was a distraction she was using to get better. Sometimes distractions divert you from fixing your life, and sometimes they help you get out of your situation. In Sanya’s case, Ravn helped her clear the gray and find herself.
SØREN: Sanya and Ravn never consummate their relationship. Why not?
AMULYA: We actually don’t know if they do or don’t. We don’t know how they spent that night in the summer house. And neither does Harry.
SØREN: I loved Sanya’s voice. She’s quirky and sarcastic, batshit crazy and fun. How did you put her together?
AMULYA: Of all the characters I have written, Sanya is the one who’s closest to me. Not Old Sanya but New Sanya. I’m slightly irreverent, and I look at life with cynical glasses at times; and I never have a problem with being blunt and up-front. I’m sometimes a bit of a drama queen. I also am afraid of the darkness of depression.
SØREN: I thought Mandy and Penny were fun. Do we know these people?
AMULYA: Well, parts of them are similar to some people we know, but the rest is conjured up. These are my characters, and they are created by me and don’t exist in reality.
SØREN: What actually inspired this story?
AMULYA: One day I was at work and walking past an office and I saw a sign with the name Anders Ravn. The Danish Ravn is from the bird raven. In Hindu mythology, we had a Ravan who is a bad guy. This was also the time that there was the whole IT Factory scandal in Denmark, where a leasing carousel scheme meant that the CEO of that company did prison time. So I started to think about a modern version of The Ramayana—where Sita, my Sanya, has had a nervous breakdown and . . . bit by bit the story emerged.
SØREN: The Copenhagen you describe in this book is your Copenhagen. How do you feel about the city?
AMULYA: You know that Copenhagen is my favorite city in the world. And I love it very much, even more than Paris, which is a city that I adore. The Copenhagen in the book is definitely my Copenhagen. The places I went to and the experiences I had. Some of these experiences I had with you, some with friends, and some alone. I get so nostalgic when I think about Copenhagen that I even forget how terrible the weather used to be. I miss it very much, and when I sometimes go there because of work, I’m once again enamored and feel all the feelings. I also have friends in the city—friends who are nearly family. So Copenhagen is very special and will always be this special city—like a long-lost lover, the one who got away.
READER’S GUIDE
Sanya and Harry have been married for a long time, and maybe not so well the entire time. What did you think of Sanya and Harry’s marriage?
Sanya is clinically depressed and doesn’t want to get out from under her duvet. We have all felt the blues at some time or another. Could you relate to Sanya and how she felt?
Why do you think Sanya is attracted to Ravn? And why do you think Ravn is attracted to Sanya?
Sanya is at the center of this story, but The Copenhagen Affair is full of colorful secondary characters like Penny, Mandy, and even Lucky. Who were your favorites?
We find out that Ravn is not who he seems to be—and is in fact a white-collar criminal. How did you feel about the fact that even after knowing this, Sanya continued to be attracted to him?
The Copenhagen Affair discusses marriage as a closed system. How true is this in marriages you know?
What were some of the big differences between Old Sanya and New Sanya?
As Sanya changed and evolved, so did Harry. What were the most significant changes that Harry made, and do you think they were enough to save his marriage and himself?
Did you think, in the end, Sanya made the right decision?
At the end of the book, Harry and Sanya decide to try again to be a couple. Do you think they’ll make it?
The book takes the reader on a tour of Copenhagen. What places from the book would you like to visit if you went to Copenhagen?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo © 2017 Justin Odom
Amulya Malladi is the author of seven novels, including A House for Happy Mothers, The Sound of Language, and The Mango Season. Her books have been translated into several languages, including Dutch, French, German, Spanish, Danish, Romanian, Serbian, and Tamil. She has a bachelor’s degree in engineering and a master’s degree in journalism. When she’s not writing, she works as a marketing executive. After several years in Copenhagen, she now lives outside Los Angeles with her husband and two children. Connect with Amulya at www.amulyamalladi.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/authoramulya.
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