PVLF 2026

Interview with Anupama Goswami, Author of “Dungeon or Daylight”

A raw, emotional journey of healing and hope, Dungeon or Daylight explores trauma, identity, and the light we find in our darkest moments.
on Mar 25, 2026

Frontlist: Dungeon or Daylight is deeply introspective and emotionally raw. What was the moment or feeling that first sparked Alice Bugg’s story in your mind?

Anupama: I know how exciting it feels to step into a city when you come from a small town. Everything shines brighter, everything feels possible. But innocence is often mistaken for weakness, and gentle hearts are easily fooled, left behind with scars they never deserved. I wanted them to stop hiding those scars. To see them not as wounds, but as guiding lights. Like thunder, loud, sudden, and life-changing. Not there to destroy them, but to awaken them.

Frontlist: You’ve described your writing as a blessing, inspired by visions and dreams. How do these inner experiences translate into your creative process on the page?

Anupama: Seeing dreams and visions while writing has become normal for me now. It feels as if something within me is determined to reveal, through chapters, what even my conscious

mind failed to foresee. I never planned for Alice to see a ring while she was in the dungeon. But when I dreamt of it, I knew, that was the moment. That was the truth the story had been waiting for. It was as if my visions and my thoughts had joined hands, working quietly beyond my control, to bring something far more marvelous onto the pages than I could have ever forced myself.

Frontlist: Alice’s journey moves from a sheltered life to emotional upheaval and self-discovery. What did you want to explore about desire, consequence, and transformation through her character?

Anupama: For some, self-discovery is a journey they begin when life loses its meaning. But for Alice, it was never a choice, it was forced upon her. She bent herself to the extreme, beyond what she thought she could endure, and in doing so, she discovered what she was truly capable of. Survival did not just save her; it transformed her. Because those who rise through adversity are never the same person again. They are forced to meet the version of themselves that was waiting on the other side of pain.

Frontlist: The novel deals with grief, inner conflict, and psychological turmoil. How did you approach writing such vulnerable emotional states while staying true to the character’s voice?

Anupama: Without her vulnerable moments, Alice’s confidence would feel empty. It was her fragility that gave her voice truth. That perspective was necessary, not to show her strength, but

to show who she truly is.

Frontlist: The title Dungeon or Daylight suggests a powerful duality. What does this contrast represent for you both in the novel and in real life?

Anupama: To be honest, these words have become my favorite. They have become a mantra I return to every day: “Dungeon or Daylight.” It is a choice I ask myself constantly. Because whenever I see the world sinking into darkness, I remind myself that daylight is not gone it is only waiting to arrive. Alice never gave up, even when she had every reason to. And through her, I learned that no circumstance is powerful enough to make me surrender my light.

Frontlist: This book marks your debut as a novelist, though you’ve been writing poetry and articles for years. How did writing a novel challenge or expand you as a writer?

Anupama: Editing challenged me more than writing ever did. Because I was not just editing words, I was editing feelings. I had to reshape emotions without losing their truth, and still deliver the message they were meant to carry. It was the most difficult part of the process, and yet, the most meaningful. In refining the story, I found myself refining my understanding of it and of myself.

Frontlist: Alice eventually searches for a new purpose after devastation. Do you believe healing is about closure, or about learning to live with unanswered questions?

Anupama: It is true that people often heal faster when they are given closure. But closure is not the only path to healing. Sometimes, healing comes quietly through personal understanding through accepting what happened, and recognizing our own strength to give ourselves the love we once with held. Healing does not always require answers from others. Sometimes, it only requires compassion from ourselves.

Frontlist: What do you hope readers, especially those struggling with their own inner battles, take away from Dungeon or Daylight?

Anupama: I hope readers understand that their darkness does not define them. That even when they feel broken, something within them remains whole. Dungeon or Daylight is a reminder that survival is not the end, it is the beginning of discovering who you truly are. And no matter how deep the dungeon feels, daylight still exists.