Marist Professor Publishes New Book
Professor Renee L.K. Eastabrooks. Photo Credit: CME
Renee L.K. Eastabrooks donned on a traditional Indian gown with vibrant turquoise fabrics, ornate embroidery, a flowing silhouette and a blue mask to match. This dress was gifted to her by people she met in Delhi, India 16 years ago when she first visited India in her pursuit to tell the story of her character, Triti Sharma. The character Triti Sharma in Eastabrooks' first novel, Inauspicious, is based on the real murder of a Rajasthani woman.
“She’s been talking to me. I really felt like she spoke to me” Eastabrooks recalled.
It can seem to many that Renee L.K. Eastabrooks has done so much in a single lifetime. Currently, she’s an adjunct professor at Marist teaching different courses like philosophy and world religion. As a researcher and scholar whose studied India and Hinduism, the murder of 18 year old Roop Kanwar in the State of Rajasthan in India in 1987 by the illegal ritual sati, the immolation of a woman whose husband died, has made an ever-lasting mark on Eastabrooks.
Eastabrooks remembers clearly the moment she began developing the story. “The young woman in my story had been talking to me,” she said. “[It] never really felt like I was writing the story. I felt more like I was a scribe taking down her words.”
In the author's note for the novel, she writes that Triti was “imploring me to save her life on the page.”
In the journey to capture this story through her novel’s character, she traveled to Rajasthan over 15 years ago and spent a month traveling the region. She was fortunate to arrive to the small village of Deorala where Roop Kanwar was murdered and remembers being veiled upon entry to the site and the morbidity she felt. “I’m really glad that I had my veil on because I was weeping,” she said
It became apparent to Eastabrooks that this story must be heard. Although she felt the urgency to share this story, she also felt doubtful. “At one point I thought I was not up to this task. This requires not only incredible research and writing which I do as a job, but it was an ode to a real person, so I did not want to make any missteps,” she said. “[I] spent as much time as I could to make sure I got it right.”
After spending 16 years writing this novel that involved more than a decade of research, many late nights and early mornings and continuous encouragement from friends, family and colleagues, her novel Inauspicious was finally published in the summer of 2021.
“[Inauspicious] was my longest birth,” the new author describes her experience as.
Now available to the public, the book has already received much praise and love from men and women who have read it. And as its popularity increases, she hopes others will gain “an appreciation for the beauty of India and the culture and an awareness of how much more we can do to help support young women,” she said.
Eastabrooks' novel is a tangible reflection of the dedication and grit that she has towards the things she cares about most in her life such as her advocacy for women's rights. Recently, she also participated as a judge in the Colombo International Women's Film Festival based out of Sri Lanka and loved seeing the films made by female directors.
The newly published author and Marist professor continues to encourage students to open themselves up to the world like she does herself. “[I want to] make sure that students' heads literally open up and have a lightbulb moment,” she said.
Eastabrooks has immense gratitude towards those who have been a part of her journey and continues to shine a light on others.
Now that Inauspicious has been published, Eastabrooks hasn’t noticed the voice of Triti in her head as much. “She's been pretty quiet I have to say since the book debuted and especially since the reviews have been coming in.” Eastabrooks anticipates that once the screenplay for this novel picks up “she’ll be talking in my ear again; probably giving me casting advice.”
Inauspicious is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes and Nobles, Kindle, Sandman Books and will soon be available at the James A. Cannavino Library at Marist.