Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Sita Walker: For God and the greater Good

The immense experience of teaching story writing for 20 years finally led the Brisbane-based author towards her debut book The God of No Good

Sita Walker: For God and the greater Good

BEING a high school English and literature teacher in Australia closely connected Sita Walker to writing.

The immense experience of teaching story writing for 20 years, encountering a lot of work from students and being published in an anthology, finally led towards her debut book The God of No Good. Being immersed in that creative process for so long, has enabled her to write an accomplished memoir set across different continents about six women and how their lives intertwine.


Lead inset THE GOD OF NO GOOD 2559 The cover of her debut book

Apart from telling a compelling story, the book based on personal experiences delves into multiple themes including faith, love, dreams, searching for a purpose, spirituality, and community. Eastern Eye caught up with the Brisbane-based author to talk about her coming-of-age tale filled with humour, about letting go of the past to rebuild your own destiny.

What led you to writing a memoir?

When I decided to give writing a real go, I entered a competition. I wrote a short piece called Love in the Time of Grandmother. It was a memoir. It did quite well, and I was asked to write more like it, so I did.

Tell us a little about the story?

The God of No Good is an intergenerational true story about my grandmother, mother, aunts, and myself and how our lives intertwine. The chapters traverse time, decades, and continents – from Iran to India, Sri Lanka to the Czech Republic, Adelaide to the Torres Strait. It’s about old love and new love, losing faith, gaining courage, grief, vice, and virtue. Bold women, good men. Tea. There’s lots of tea.

How much of it is drawn from real life?

The events of the book are passed through several sieves. Fading memories, second hand accounts, and my own poetic imagination. Some minor characters are fictional, created from a wisp of memory, a line of dialogue, or simply a ‘feeling’ that someone had about something that happened a very long time ago. That said, most of the events in the book are absolutely true.

Could you tell us what inspired the interesting title?

The title is inspired by the philosophy of non-dualism - the underlying unity and interconnectedness of all things. I am interested in the idea that vice and virtue exist within everyone and belong to everyone and everything; that the god of all that is good is also the god of no good.

What made you focus on the central theme of goodness in the book?

My mother and father were enormously invested in my moral compass, and this was deeply linked to the principles of the Baha’i faith, the religion I was raised in. I tried so very hard to be good for many, many years. The book is an exploration of what happens when you give up what you have always perceived to be ‘goodness’ and explore other options, when you become a seeker - only then can you own your goodness, and your corruption too.

Did you learn anything new while writing this book?

I learnt that when you have the courage to face your greatest fears, the world gives back to you in surprising and unexpected ways. I also learnt that people take from books things you didn’t even realise you put in there. I have had so many insightful discussions with readers who mention how they loved this idea, or that, and I’d never even intended it to come across that way. It’s incredible.

Did you discover anything new about yourself?

I discovered just how much of my life I had kept secret. I don’t think I did it on purpose, but perhaps I did. Maybe we all do? Many of my friends were overcome by how little they knew about me.

Do you have a favourite section or chapter in the book?

My favourite section is set in 1952, on a hill station called Panchgani, in Maharashtra. My mother is 10 years old and hiding in a mulberry tree, hoping to see a black panther. Panchgani is a beautiful, lush, and evocative place. Writing that section was like threading jewels together to make a sparkling necklace. It was my pleasure to write.

Who are you hoping connects with The God of No Good?

I hope the book reaches anyone who needs to read it. Books have an interesting habit of finding a way to their intended. If readers see the cover, or an extract or blurb, and it speaks to them, there must be a reason why. That’s my experience with books. They grab those who need them.

What according to you makes for a great story?

I tell my students a good story leads the reader up the mountain by dangling something shiny in front of them, but never letting them see it properly. At the top, it shows them the view, and that the shiny thing was not what they thought it was, and then sometimes, it pushes them down the other side, knocking the wind out of them.

What inspires you creatively?

Great art. Reading, watching movies and TV, listening to music.

What type of books do you enjoy reading the most?

Well-written ones. My favourite authors are Toni Morrison, Barbara Trapido, John Steinbeck, Helen Garner, Elizabeth Gilbert, Arthur Miller, Nora Ephron. I love all kinds of books. At the moment, I am reading All the Pretty Horses by the great Cormac McCarthy, who died this year. I’ve never read it before.

How do you feel about The God of No Good, your debut book, being published and put out into the world?

I feel lucky and proud. I feel like I’ve contributed something worthwhile, and that is no small thing to feel at least once in your life.

Why should we open up your book?

Because it has an excellent first line. That’s worth opening any book for, isn’t it? It also has a cast of wonderful true characters. There aren’t many books about a daughter of a white man and a brown woman, raised in the Baha’i faith, growing up in a small town in Australia. In fact, this is the only one. I guarantee you’ll be reading something original.

The God of No Good by Sita Walker is published in hardback by Ultimo and available now

More For You

Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan

Jasbinder Bilan’s journey of heart and heritage: From Himalayan tales to global acclaim

When Jasbinder Bilan first paused her teaching career to pursue a creative writing degree, she had no idea it would lead to a life-changing breakthrough. What began as a leap of faith became a journey filled with hope, rejection and ultimately triumph. Inspired by her beloved grandmother and her Indian roots, Bilan poured her soul into her debut manuscript Song of the Mountain. Though the publishing world was not immediately ready for her story, perseverance paid off when she won the 2016 Times Chicken House Prize, launching her celebrated writing career. Now, following the success of her Costa Award-winning Asha and the Spirit Bird, Bilan returns with a powerful new historical adventure, Naeli and the Secret Song. In this exclusive interview, she speaks about the emotional inspiration behind the book, her love for young readers and the importance of believing in your voice — no matter how long it takes to be heard.

What first connected you to writing?
It was stories more than writing that were my first love. My grandmother, Majee, was the storyteller in our house and it was those bonding moments that sparked my love for creating my own stories. She told me lots of Indian folk tales at bedtime, but she also shared stories of our life in India on the farm near the foothills of the Himalaya. So, I grew up feeling connected to a place that I then filled with my imagination. As a little girl I loved drawing and writing, and always wanted to be a writer, but it took me a long time to make that dream come true.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rachel Zegler’s ‘Evita’ Performance Sparks Broadway Buzz

Rachel Zegler stuns in Jamie Lloyd’s Evita as Palladium crowds grow nightly

Instagram/officialevita

Rachel Zegler shines in Jamie Lloyd’s ‘Evita’ as West End hit eyes Broadway transfer

Quick highlights:

 
     
  • Rachel Zegler plays Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s radical Evita revival at the London Palladium.
  •  
  • A viral moment features Zegler singing live from the theatre’s balcony to crowds on the street.
  •  
  • Lloyd’s stripped-down staging amps up visuals and sound but sacrifices storytelling depth.
  •  
  • Talks are on for a Broadway transfer as early as 2026 with Zegler confirmed to reprise her role.
  •  
 

Rachel Zegler commands the London stage as Eva Perón in Jamie Lloyd’s daring reimagining of Evita, a production that trades subtlety for spectacle and could soon be heading to Broadway.

Following the success of Sunset Boulevard, Lloyd’s signature stripped-down style meets rock concert intensity in this revived version of the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical. Zegler, in only her second major stage role, dazzles with commanding vocals and presence, even as critics debate the show’s dramatic clarity.

Keep ReadingShow less
K Anis Ahmed

K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative

AMG

K Anis Ahmed’s 'Carnivore' serves up satire, class war and moral rot

From the blood-soaked backstreets of Dhaka to the polished kitchens of Manhattan’s elite, K Anis Ahmed’s new novel Carnivore is as imaginative as it is provocative. A satirical thriller steeped in class tension, culinary obsession and primal survival, Carnivore follows Kash, a Bangladeshi immigrant-turned-chef who launches a high-end restaurant serving exotic meats – only to become embroiled in a sinister world of appetite and ambition.

But this is no simple tale of knives and recipes. Ahmed – a seasoned journalist, publisher, and president of PEN Bangladesh – brings a sharp eye to the grotesqueries of power and privilege. In this exclusive interview with Eastern Eye, he speaks about his passion for food, the moral murkiness of his characters, and why even the most ordinary people can spiral into extraordinary darkness.

Keep ReadingShow less
Artists respond to a world shaped
by division at Summer Exhibition

Visitors view works in the main gallery

Artists respond to a world shaped by division at Summer Exhibition

THE theme of the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2025 is “dialogues”, prompting the question: can art help bring together the people of India and Pakistan? Or, indeed, Israel and Iran – or Israel and Palestine?

It so happens that the coordinator of this year’s Summer Exhibition is the internationally celebrated artist and Royal Academician Farshid Moussavi, who is of Iranian origin.

Keep ReadingShow less
Kanpur 1857 play

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with 'Kanpur: 1857'

Pleasance

Niall Moorjani brings colonial history to life with powerful new play 'Kanpur: 1857'

This summer, Niall Moorjani returns to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe with Kanpur: 1857, an explosive new play that fuses biting satire, history and heartfelt storytelling. Written, co-directed and performed by Moorjani, alongside fellow actor and collaborator Jonathan Oldfield, the show dives into the bloody uprising against British colonial rule in 1857 India, focusing on the brutal events in Kanpur.

At its centre is an Indian rebel, played by Moorjani, strapped to a cannon and forced to recount a version of events under the watchful eye of a British officer.

Keep ReadingShow less