Leeya Mehta to launch ‘Extinction’ at Mumbai LitFest on October 24

Leeya Mehta will launch *Extinction*, a novel shaped by memories of her Mumbai childhood and family stories, at the Little Theatre on October 24.

Her Mumbai LitFest session, titled “Family Secrets”, is scheduled from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. Writer Iffat Nawaz will join Mehta in conversation, chaired by Shabnam Minwalla.

Mehta grew up in Mumbai, attended college in the city and worked here for years. She has described Mumbai as her creative home, recalling time spent at the Little Theatre watching plays and growing up around the city’s theatre community.

In *Extinction*, Mehta draws on the essence of her grandmother, whose love of poetry and imaginative play became a starting point for the character Ava. Family stories also informed the novel, including her grandmother’s fascination with a white tiger during pregnancy and the story that Mehta’s mother was born with blue eyes.

Set across 20th-century India, the novel explores family, belonging, loss and cultural inheritance. Mehta is also the author of the poetry collections *The Towers of Silence* and *A Story of the World Before the Fence*.

The discussion will be followed by the launch of *Extinction*.