I’ve said this many times, but I still mean it. I love learning more about the author behind the books that I love or I want to read. Today I get to share an author interview with Deeba Zargarpur. Her book, House of Yesterday, releases today. So keep on reading to find out more about this book and author.
Taking inspiration from the author’s own Afghan-Uzbek heritage, this contemporary YA debut is a breathtaking journey into the grief that lingers through generations of immigrant families, and what it means to confront the ghosts of your past.
Struggling to deal with the pain of her parents’ impending divorce, fifteen-year-old Sara is facing a world of unknowns and uncertainties. Unfortunately, the one person she could always lean on when things got hard, her beloved Bibi Jan, has become a mere echo of the grandmother she once was. And so Sara retreats into the family business, hoping a summer working on her mom’s latest home renovation project will provide a distraction from her fracturing world.
But the house holds more than plaster and stone. It holds secrets that have her clinging desperately to the memories of her old life. Secrets that only her Bibi Jan could have untangled. Secrets Sara is powerless to ignore as the dark truths of her family’s history rise in ghostly apparitions — and with it, the realization that as much as she wants to hold onto her old life, nothing will ever be the same.
Told in lush, sweeping prose, this story of secrets, summer, and family sacrifice will chill you to the bone as the house that wraps Sara in warmth of her past becomes the one thing she cannot escape…
Author Interview
What inspired you to write House of Yesterday?
When I first started writing House of Yesterday, I never thought this idea would have left the pages of my notebook. The project initially started as a coping mechanism when my grandmother’s dementia became severe. It was my way to put words to feelings I couldn’t explain. So, I wrote and got lost in a world where maybe memories and people and places weren’t gone for good. The story that unfolds was my exploration of what if there was a way back into yesterday.
What has been your favorite part of your publishing journey so far?
I have two favorite parts thus far! The first was the day I got to speak with my editor, Trisha de Guzman, on the phone. It was before she had officially offered on the book. I was so very nervous, but once we started talking all the nerves melted away. I was bursting with joy to have found an editor who completely understood my vision for the book, who loved my prickly main character, and could relate to the large immigrant family experience. I couldn’t have asked for a better match for House of Yesterday.
My second favorite part was finally seeing the finished cover and interiors. I think it finally felt real when I saw the finished interiors. I couldn’t hold the waterworks in when I got to the last page of my acknowledgements.
If you were a character in House of Yesterday, what kind of character would you be?
I feel like the obvious answer would be my main character, Sara Rahmat, but honestly I’m not sure. Even though Sara’s situation mirrors my own in many ways—with her grandmother’s dementia, her parents’ toxic relationship and messy divorce, the way she navigates the awkward distance with her cousins and best friend—I’d say Sara is way braver (and pricklier) than I could ever be. Funnily enough, I actually align more with Sara’s best friend, Sam, in the novel. He’s quiet, patience, and kind. Perhaps too patient, too kind. He’s non-confrontational in the same way I am, which is both a blessing and a curse.
What is your favorite quote from House of Yesterday?
Oh this is tough. There are so many moments I adore, so to make it easier on myself, I’ll start with my favorite quote from chapter one. As a child of Afghan immigrants, it was important for me to get across in Sara’s story this generational tug-of-war that happens between immigrant parents and their children. Below are Sara’s thoughts regarding her current situation with her parents’ separation. I wanted to explore this idea of war and no matter what form it takes—whether it’s literal or figurative—both experiences, both traumas are valid and deserve the same level of empathy and care.
Sometimes, I ask Madar what it was like to pick up and start over in a foreign land.
Sometimes, I wish I could do it too.
To escape and start over somewhere new.
“We were running from a war, jan,” she would remind me.
As the wind roars through the open window, I find myself thinking, I’m running from a war too.
What do you hope readers take away after reading this book?
House of Yesterday is a coming of age story as Sara tries to navigate the ever-changing landscape of her family. What Sara must accept is there is so much of the past that she cannot get back. Part of that journey is facing the idea of what if we could? What if we could access all versions of ourselves, of our loved ones, in items they’ve touched? What if we could go back into the past? Would you?
But with all things supernatural, there is always risk, give and take, danger in looking back. What I’d like young readers (and adults!) to take away from Sara’s story is that no matter how dark your world gets, there is always, always a future worth fighting for.
Could you give us 5 random facts about House of Yesterday (think the story, writing, publishing, anything that comes to mind)?
Okay, let’s see. Five random facts (in no particular order):
- I did a bunch of haunted and abandoned home exploring while writing the book!
- I actually went on two rounds of submission for House of Yesterday (and so many title changes!). In between the two rounds, I did a complete overhaul of the main plot.
- There is a real house in Long Island that inspired the Sumner house!
- The first lines of the book (opening of chapter 1) are from the initial notebook. Before there was a story, there was this feeling of being lost in the dark, and from those first sentences, Sara’s story started to form. Through all the rewrites, these first lines somehow survived, and I think that’s pretty cool.
House of Yesterday was a book I was already really interested in, but after this interview with Deeba I have to say I’m even more curious. A big thank you to the author for taking time to answer my questions. House of Yesterday is now out in the world to be picked up and read, so definitely check it out!
