The Literature Times: Congratulations on the nomination for The House of Nothing at Sahitya Sparsh Awards Season 4! How does it feel to see your debut novel recognized this way?
Guruguhan Iyer: Thank you. It took me 3 years to write The House of Nothing. This nomination feels as special as reading the first review of my book. It’s difficult to put the feeling into words. I’m grateful to everyone who has been a part of this journey, especially my mother, father, wife, loved ones, my literary agent Suhail Mathur, and my publisher, Locksley Hall.
The Literature Times: The book uses everyday objects, like a ceiling fan and filter coffee, to open doors into something cosmic and divine. What inspired you to root such a metaphysical story in such mundane details?
Guruguhan Iyer: Filter coffee is the soul of my home. It’s my favourite drink. So, I guess its magic had to drip into my story. During long sleepless nights, I would often stare at the ceiling fan and think of random, stupid things. Like, the easiest way to chop veggies would be to toss them towards the ceiling fan. One other thought of that kind which stayed with me was what if it’s a portal to some other world.
The Literature Times: Shunya and Vedana are unforgettable characters, gods who appear as wanderers, friends, and tricksters. What was the creative process behind giving the divine such an intimate, almost human, presence in the story?
Guruguhan Iyer: Religion. Not one or two, but all of them. I had a love-hate relationship with the idea of God(s), then I turned atheist/agnostic, and now I’m somewhere in between. I neither identify myself as a believer nor a non-believer. The idea of an almighty being is quite ironic to me. They are presented as the perfect picture of morality, yet many religious stories also portray them doing things we would consider immoral. I don’t want to expand on that any further and land in jail. When you read about the different ideas of God that religions have put forward, without any bias, you’ll see them as Shunya and Vedana.
The Literature Times: Grief plays a central role in The House of Nothing. Was there a personal experience or observation that shaped how you wrote Ramana’s journey through loss?
Guruguhan Iyer: Yes. I lost my best friend on my twelfth birthday. I learned about grief quite early in my life. I finished the first draft of this book just weeks before my father passed away. When I sat down to rewrite the story, feelings buried in the deepest corners of my heart came to the surface. It was emotionally tough for me.
The Literature Times: You come from an advertising background, with a Clio Award to your name. How did writing a six-word story like “Slept. Woke up in a womb” influence the way you approached a full-length novel?
Guruguhan Iyer: I don’t know, to be honest. I just sat down to write and finished what I started. But yes, if not for advertising, I wouldn’t have become a writer.
The Literature Times: The novel moves between breakneck pace and quiet, meditative pauses. How did you decide when to slow the story down and let silence speak?
Guruguhan Iyer: I don’t think I consciously made any decision. The House of Nothing is a fictionalised version of my life experiences. In retrospect the pace, pauses and all the technical aspects of the story feel less like conscious choices and more like natural reactions.
The Literature Times: Readers have described the book as feeling almost cinematic in places. Were there any films, books, or philosophical texts that influenced your imagination while writing this?
Guruguhan Iyer: As far as inspiration is concerned, The House of Nothing has abstract connections with the UFC, Advaita Vedanta, Marvel movies, the Bhagavad Gita, Ernest Hemingway, R. K. Narayan, Biblical stories, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Quentin Tarantino, Steven Spielberg, The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Christopher Hitchens, Richard Dawkins, and many more.
The Literature Times: The title itself, The House of Nothing, feels paradoxical since the story is about everything, existence, loss, and the divine. What does the title mean to you personally?
Guruguhan Iyer: Life by itself has no meaning. It gets beautiful when you add meaning and purpose to it. Ultimately, everything that happens leads to nothing. The House of Nothing is a depiction of this thought.
The Literature Times: You dedicate much of the story to Venkat becoming part of something vast and unseen. Without giving away too much, what do you hope readers take away from his arc?
Guruguhan Iyer: Venkat is trapped in an endless loop of living the worst phase of his life over and over. Even irreplaceable loss cannot take away what he refuses to surrender. He realises who he truly is when everything’s stripped away from him. The House of Nothing is Venkat’s spiritual journey. He teaches us that liberation is not found by escaping suffering, but by refusing to be defined by it.
The Literature Times: As a debut novelist making the shift from advertising copy to long-form fiction, what was the hardest part of sustaining a story across an entire novel?
Guruguhan Iyer: Self-doubt. Imposter syndrome. Patience. Writing while holding a full-time job.
The Literature Times: Are you on social media? How can readers reach out to you or follow your journey as an author?
Guruguhan Iyer: I’m active on Instagram.
https://www.instagram.com/guruguhaniyer?igsh=dGM1ZTJoZ2dmZnYz
Occasionally active on Medium. https://medium.com/@guruguhan.iyer?fbclid=IwVERDUATNNoRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR63SWSP6N9dkUFyuHvRNyAOjeDbEkFkxFw0o5s7KHWviR1FJJnHUb-iIZpRCQ_aem_YLeTNqUcLBQme8j_ssYXdw
Not so active on LinkedIn.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/guruguhan-iyer-58b89518?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_android
Not at all active on X.
https://x.com/TheGhantalAadmi
The Literature Times: Where can readers buy The House of Nothing?
Guruguhan Iyer: Yes, The House of Nothing is available on Amazon and Kindle. https://amzn.in/d/07BtJwMG
