Description: Indian American journalist Smita has returned to India to cover a story. Reluctantly. Long ago she and her family left the country with no intention of ever coming back. As she follows the case of Meena-- a Hindu woman attacked by members of her own village and her own family for marrying a Muslim man-- Smita comes face to face with a society where tradition carries more weight than one's own heart. The story threatens to unearth the painful secrets of Smita's own past. Increasingly drawn to Mohan, an Indian man she meets while on assignment, Smita realizes she has the freedom to enter into a casual affair, knowing she can decide later how much it means to her. -- adapted from jacket
Brief description: Thrity Umrigar is the bestselling author of eight novels, including The Space Between Us, which was a finalist for the PEN/Beyond Margins Award, as well as a memoir and three picture books. Her books have been translated into several languages and published in more than fifteen countries. She is the winner of a Lambda Literary Award and a Seth Rosenberg Award and is Distinguished Professor of English at Case Western Reserve University. A recipient of the Nieman Fellowship to Harvard, she has contributed to the Boston Globe, the Washington Post, the New York Times and Huffington Post.
Review Quotes: "As with all of Thrity Umrigar's stories, this novel examines nuances of race, caste, and class with stark honesty, and though the crimes are difficult to stomach, they reflect reality. This story of an Americanized Indian woman reconciling with India's entrenched race conflicts does not disappoint."--Zibby Mag