Vish Dhamija addresses mental health issues in new legal thriller

New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) London-based author Vish Dhamija, whose novels revolve around crime and courtroom drama, touches upon certain mental health issues people face in his new book.
    “Deja Karma: You Can Fight But You Can’t Win” follows the story of Jay Singh, a defence lawyer who has never lost a case. But the past comes haunting when a high-profile murder accused comes knocking on his door and he finds himself embroiled in a case that can destroy him completely.
    Dhamija, who will embark on a book tour of India from Sunday, said “Deja Karma” is a legal and psychological thriller that tells the story of a deeply troubled man, a successful lawyer psychologically broken by traumatic events of his adolescence, struggling to build a bridge between his past and present, completely misjudging that – in his particular case – the past and present are better disjointed.
    “And as though he isn’t already besieged by problems, his professional success has made him an egomaniac, a narcissist. Until his Karma comes calling,” he says.
    He says his book also touches upon certain mental health issues some people face, and that there should be no embarrassment in accepting help.
    Dhamija, whose books are set in the courts in India, says he wanted to become a lawyer.
    “I even enrolled in law, but circumstances changed the course of my life and career. However, once I had time again, I thought about how I could get back to something I was passionate about and writing legal fiction came to mind,” he says.
    According to him, legal fiction requires combining creative storytelling with legal research and an understanding of the applicable principles, procedures, legalese, and the legal framework relevant to the storyline.
    “I am quite fortunate – when I left studying law after a year, some of my friends continued in the discipline, and became practising lawyers – that if I get stuck at any point, I can pick up the phone and call any one of them for details and explanations and advice,” he says.
    Dhamija’s books have had screen rights bought.
    When asked if this trend of books making it to screen created pressure to experiment with his writing, he says, “No. Actually, from my very first book ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, I have always furnished enough details on characters, scenes, locations, procedures that the readers should be able to visually imagine characters, and scenes they are reading.”
    His book “Bhendi Bazaar”, featuring DCP Rita Ferreira, was recently acquired by a major production house. “Deja Karma” is published by Pan Macmillan India.