The Literature Times: What inspired you to write The Eyes: They See – A Murder, and when did the idea for Aaryan’s character first come to you?
Vyvek Motwani: The fact how deep could human psychology go has always fascinated me. That opened up possibilities, which in turn, turned the first page of The Eyes: They See – A Murder. The idea of Aaryan’s character first hit my psyche in 2020 and it has been a long wait to see as a book. 6 years too long.
The Literature Times: Your novel explores the thin line between sanity and madness. What drew you toward psychological themes while developing the story?
Vyvek Motwani: It is actually other way around. The Psychological themes came first. It was the epicenter around which the entire decoration of characters and small world emerged.
The Literature Times: Aaryan spends five years in a mental asylum before returning to society. Why did you choose this particular background for your protagonist?
Vyvek Motwani: It is a question I wanted to tickle reader’s brain, so I had to put the cure for the tickle in the book itself. I am sure once you read it you will find all the answers the book seemingly left unanswered.
The Literature Times: The novel constantly makes readers question whether Aaryan is the killer or a victim of his own mind. How did you approach maintaining this ambiguity throughout the story?
Vyvek Motwani: It is the things that happen around Aaryan, You can’t understand the actions based on what happens and what could you actually believe, when no one else believes you.
The Literature Times: In your view, what makes psychological suspense different from a conventional murder mystery?
Vyvek Motwani: The murder mysteries, I believe, are more or less based on reason and logical killings, whereas a psychological suspense keeps your mind busy for stuff that do not necessarily make sense and still find peace at the end.
The Literature Times: The title The Eyes: They See – A Murder immediately suggests the importance of perception and observation. What does the idea of “the eyes” represent in the novel?
Vyvek Motwani: This is one of the questions I would rather let the book answer itself.
The Literature Times: As an engineer by education and a supervisor by profession, how have your professional experiences influenced your approach to storytelling and problem-solving in fiction?
Vyvek Motwani: The professional experience has little to do with this most workload fell upon my curiosities and love for writing.
The Literature Times: What was the most challenging aspect of writing your debut novel, particularly when creating twists and keeping readers guessing?
Vyvek Motwani: The fun part is the twists were all prepared in my mind, the tough part came to bring them to reality, at least up to a paper.
The Literature Times: What do you hope readers take away from Aaryan’s journey and the questions the novel raises about memory, perception, and reality?
Vyvek Motwani: I want people to understand that psychology is not always to be assigned to madness it goes to deeper roots and can be so much more twisted then it first appears.
The Literature Times: As The Eyes: They See – A Murder is your debut novel, what can readers expect from you in your future stories, and are there more mysteries or psychological thrillers you would like to explore?
Vyvek Motwani: There is a lot in my mind and I am preparing a more stuff to turn into novels. As they are just under construction or maybe just at blueprint stages I do not want to reveal anything. I would not like to serve uncooked meals, it messes with the appetite.
