Devi S. Laskar joins Carol Fitzgerald to discuss her third novel, MIDNIGHT, AT THE WAR, which is primarily set in the years after 9/11. The protagonist, Rita Das, is a journalist inspired by Christiane Amanpour and Sylvia Poggioli, who planted themselves in conflict zones for their reporting. The book explores both personal and professional challenges faced by Rita, who is running from conflicts in her own life into parts of the world where she finds herself in unknown political circumstances as she works. She has complicated relationships, including a rocky marriage, a lover, a sick mother, and difficulties with her father.
The unnamed location where Rita is stationed allows readers to focus on universal themes rather than specific geopolitical details. It provides a look at a time when journalism was much more fact-based than it is now, where the most important thing seems to be "being first" instead of "being right."
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