Nichola Marie in conversation with Vinitha, author of ‘Uma Kapoor vs The Universe’, on how honest conversations can bridge the generational divide.
Your novel brings together puberty and perimenopause. What inspired you to explore these parallel journeys through a family?
A friend pointed out there aren’t enough books about menstruation or menopause for young readers. My first instinct was: 1. there are enough books on menstruation (wrong), and 2. why do kids need to know about menopause? (also wrong). In almost every home, there’s a woman at the end of her menstrual cycle and often a girl at the beginning of hers. They live under the same roof, ride the same hormonal rollercoaster, and nobody talks about it. The family lens felt inevitable. Uma the protagonist of my book ‘Uma Kapoor vs The Universe’, is 12, navigating periods. Her mother is in her 40s, in the thick of perimenopause. Both are changing, confused, and alone in it.
What did you want parents and children to understand about each other?
I want them to see each other with kinder eyes. Uma watches her mother transform – from a woman who was on top of everything both at work and at home – to someone who forgets things, cries, and snaps. She thinks her mother is choosing to be angry. What she doesn’t know is that her mother is fighting a battle inside her own body without knowing what’s happening. They’re in the same house, going through parallel storms, completely alone in their confusion.
I want families to understand: you’re not on opposite sides. You’re on the same messy bridge. The only way across is to talk. I hope the book gives families permission to say: “I don’t know what’s happening to me. But I’m here. And you’re here. Maybe we can figure it out together.”
How did your own mother’s experience shape the novel?
We were four girls in the house, all menstruating, when my mother started perimenopause. We didn’t understand and we certainly weren’t sympathetic. Over the years, I’ve watched colleagues struggle with perimenopause — the depression, the anxiety. After my own postpartum depression, I became wary about my own menopause journey. Writing this book forced me to look at my mother — not as a young girl who didn’t understand, but as a woman who now does. In a way, this book is my apology and my offering to her.
Why are conversations about puberty, menopause and emotional well-being still difficult? How can families become more open?
First, the shame we inherit — periods whispered about, pads wrapped in newspaper, menopause endured silently. That shame lives in our bodies. Second, we don’t have the words. If parents can’t describe a hot flash or explain perimenopause, they can’t have the conversation. And finally, the expectation that adults – especially mothers – should have it all together.
I made Uma’s mother a successful banker to show that even the best of us stumble. Children learn to hide their confusion so they don’t add to the burden. Everyone stays silent and suffers alone. We badly need stories that show imperfect people and families stumbling through these conversations.
What challenges did you face writing about uncomfortable subjects? What conversations do you hope the novel encourages?
Getting Uma’s voice right was hardest. Middle-grade kids today are different from 10 years ago. I spent days reading contemporary middle-grade books until I found her voice – then the book poured out.
I hope a girl reads it and feels less alone. I hope a boy understands what his mother, sister, or friend is going through. I hope a parent finds a way to say, “This is happening to me too.” And I hope teachers use it not as a biology lesson, but as a story – because stories are how we make sense of things we’re too embarrassed to ask about directly. More than anything, I hope it starts conversations.
More about Vinitha…
Award-winning author and editor, former journalist and columnist, Vinitha has written over 30 books — fiction, non-fiction, picture books — for children. Her stories are part of CBSE and ICSE curricula.
