The award winning author Shauna Singh Baldwin joined Joseph Planta in studio to talk about her latest novel, The Selector of Souls (Knopf, 2012). They discussed themes in the book, faith, fundamentalism, modern India, and more.

The Selector of Souls by Chauna Singh Baldwin (Knopf, 2012). Click to buy this book from Amazon.ca: The Selector of Souls

Text of introduction by Joseph Planta:

I am Planta: On the Line, in Vancouver at TheCommentary.ca.

Shauna Singh Baldwin is a distinguished author who has written many critically acclaimed books, which have been nominated for many prizes. Her latest is The Selector of Souls. It is described as a haunting novel of extraordinary power that is timely. The book opens with a shocking act committed by one of the characters, Damini. Another character in the book Anu, she leads a charmed, privileged life however she’s also the victim of physical and emotional abuse. I’ll get Ms. Baldwin to tell us about these characters, and the themes explored in the book, gender, faith, and the new India that’s emerged from the mid-1990s to today. Shauna Singh Baldwin was born in Montreal, raised in India, and now lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Her second novel, The Tiger Claw, which is being adapted into a feature film, was a finalist for the 2004 Giller Prize. Her first book, What the Body Remembers was longlisted for the Orange Prize, and received the Commonwealth Writers Prize. Visit her own website at www.shaunasinghbaldwin.com. The Selector of Souls is published by Knopf. I’m very pleased to welcome in studio as it were, to the Planta: On the Line program, Shauna Singh Baldwin; Ms. Baldwin, good morning.

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