From the bookshelf: Driftwood Chandeliers
An interview with author and travel writer Mark Eveleigh
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Dear NE-One
Way back in the year 2000, when I was a fledgling travel editor living in London, I scheduled a meeting that would ultimately change the path of my adult life. I didn’t know this at the time, of course, but what I did know was that while I was a bundle of nerves and more intimidated than I’d ever been in my short career, I had to pull myself together and Be Professional. Talk like I had this whole editor-thing under control, when actually I’d held that position for all of two weeks.
I was meeting with Mark Eveleigh, a writer whose books had been published by National Geographic and Lonely Planet Journeys – two of the biggest names in travel publishing – and I, a complete rookie, was now commissioning him to write magazine features.
Twenty-three years on (11 of which we have shared in a life together), I remain in awe of Mark’s writing, and his career (see the end of this piece for a link to all his books). The list of publications he writes for continues to include some of the most renowned travel titles on the planet: BBC Earth, National Geographic Traveler, BBC Wildlife, CNN Travel, Wanderlust. Last year Penguin SEA published Kopi Dulu, Mark’s exquisite homage to Indonesia (if you’re in Southeast Asia you can buy it here or, if you’re anywhere else, here); he’s currently working with Lonely Planet on authoring their new generation of guidebooks; and just last month Mark’s first novel, Driftwood Chandeliers, was released to the world.
It’s a captivating novel; one that’s set in a fictional village in Bali, and a book that will haunt its readers long after they’ve closed the covers. It’s part mystery, part drama, and is infused with what many readers might consider magical realism, but what the Balinese know as the very real niskala, the unseen world, which influences the flow of everyday life on the island.
A few days ago I scheduled another meeting with Mark – this time, to talk about Driftwood Chandeliers. A lot has changed in the 23 years since we first met (most notably, I just had to call across our lounge to set up the meeting), but what remains the same is Mark’s knack for captivating readers and transporting them on an unforgettable journey. Because Driftwood Chandeliers is just that: an astonishing story that will pick you up, carry you through an enchanting part of the world, and then leave you somewhat changed, from the sheer experience of it all.
Driftwood Chandeliers is available here as an e-book, paperback and hardback
Author interview: Mark Eveleigh
But first, the back-of-book blurb:
The life and death cycles of an idyllic Balinese village have been going on, almost undisturbed, for generations – but when the bodies of two foreigners are discovered life for the entire village is altered forever.
Driftwood Chandeliers is set in a traditional village in rural Bali, where Brazilian surfer Natalia de Souza has been hired to manage a small resort. Life flows to the rhythm of ceremonies that honour and appease the island’s gods and spirits, and all is peaceful – until an unexpected chain of events drives a wedge into the harmonious community of fisher-folk and paddy-people.
As the character-rich plot unfolds – in an evocative, fast-paced story that is part mystery, part magical realism – it becomes clear that everyone must ultimately choose sides. Even the ghosts and demons cannot remain neutral forever.
Mark, you’ve written travel books before but Driftwood Chandeliers is your first novel. Why this change in direction?
I’d written a few books over the years, but magazine features had become my main focus – and from the day the Covid pandemic began to close borders, magazine travel-writing assignments dried up and, like the majority of the world, I found myself housebound and without a job. The idea for a Bali-based novel had been flitting through my mind for five years or more, and as I adjusted to life within the confines of our jungly garden in Bali, I realized that this would be the perfect time to get stuck into writing the book. It was an experiment, I guess… but once the story and the characters came alive in my mind it would have been impossible to stop writing, even if somebody had paid me. Fortunately – in hindsight – nobody paid me for quite some time and so I had plenty of opportunity to write the book.
For more than 25 years your travel-writing career has had you researching and reporting on life in the real world. What was it like to sit still for a while and write a novel?
Intimidating. I had an idea for the opening scene in the book but beyond that, I had no idea how the plot would develop. I truly assumed that I’d never have the imagination to come up with a storyline... and perhaps that’s still true, because so much of the action that takes place in the book is a fictionalized account of real-life events. Some of the most dramatic segments of Driftwood Chandeliers – a midnight beach fight, a run-in with a living demon, an extraordinarily bizarre motorbike accident – are based on events and incidents that I’ve experienced first-hand.
Was there anything in particular that influenced you while writing Driftwood Chandeliers?
Bali’s cliché nickname is the ‘Island of the Gods’ – but every Balinese Hindu would, I think, agree that it’s just as much an island of demons. The spirits that haunted the garden at The Writer’s Treehouse, where we lived while I wrote the book, needed to be propitiated with offerings just as much as the gods needed to be petitioned for blessings. The more I wrote, the more that the dark side of the island shaped the narrative.
The novel is set in a fictional village, but still – is there a photo you can share that’ll give readers a peek into the world you’ve written about?
The photo above was taken in West Bali. I had a friend, a traditional healer who passed away at the tail-end of the pandemic, who used to tell me about the mysterious crowds of ghosts that inhabited this beach at night… all of which he saw personally, on a regular basis.
What is it, about this book, that are you most proud of?
I have a lot of respect for Balinese beliefs and traditions, and I’ve done a lot of reading, research and questioning about what the Balinese call niskala, the unseen world. I’ve also held countless conversations with Balinese friends in an attempt to broaden and deepen my understanding of it. As Driftwood Chandeliers developed I worked hard to capture this mysterious side of the island in an entertaining yet truthful way, and I would like to think that even an expert on Balinese culture would find aspects of the book surprising.
A subplot in Driftwood Chandeliers conveys a very powerful message about the impact that tourism and unscrupulous investors can have on a place. What do you hope the reader takes away from the novel?
Tourists (and expats) have a huge impact on the places in which they travel – on peoples’ lifestyles and culture, and on the destination’s landscape and economy. It’s something that, as a travel writer, I’ve been acutely aware of through my career, especially when I’ve reported on very remote and culturally sensitive places. I hope readers will be intrigued and entertained by the story in Driftwood Chandeliers, but I hope, too, that it will emphasise the impact that mindless tourism can have on the destination.
What would you like first-time visitors to Bali to know?
There is infinitely more to this fascinating island than any of us understand. Twenty years after my first trip to Bali I still, almost every day, learn something astounding about traditional life on the island. My advice to any visitor – whether it’s their first or 21st trip to Bali – would be to ask questions, as most Balinese people are happy to share information on their island and their beliefs. One in-depth conversation with a Balinese person will likely give you a completely new perspective on the island, and add a whole new dimension to your experience of the place.
Driftwood Chandeliers is an exceptional book, and one that my mind returns to often. I can’t tell you why because, well, spoilers – but what I will say is, the unexpected twists that Mark’s woven into the plot are likely to leave you floored. And his knowledge and understanding of the ways of the island offer intriguing insight into the magical place that has captured the heart and imagination of so many of us, whether we’ve travelled there or not.
Here’s to those unexpected journeys, and the way they change us.
See you next week!
Narina x
Books by Mark Eveleigh
Driftwood Chandeliers is available here as an e-book, paperback and hardback
Kopi Dulu: 15,000km through Indonesia is an e-book, paperback and hardback, available here
Fever Trees of Borneo: a 2,000km expedition through uncharted jungle is available here as an e-book and paperback
How to Become a Professional Travel Writer: advice from 50 years of international assignments is available here
Secret Bangkok is a paperback only, and is available here
Secret Bali: An Unusual Guide is available in bookstores across Bali, and online here
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Nuns, when will this book come to SA?!?
Thanks for the interview! <3 (And thanks to all our good friends and family who have already supported my work by buying a copy!)