In 1960 S. K. Sharma, a brilliant young astrophysicist at the beginning of his academic career, has finally succeeded in bringing his wife, Sushila, from India to America. Intensely drawn to one another as star university students, the couple pursued an unlikely affair and marriage that crossed caste lines. Thus begins a sweeping, decades-long story of love, forgiveness, and coming of age in a country that is both fascinated by and shuns their racial identities. The United States, with its exaltation of individualism, offers immense opportunities, but its looser sexual mores threaten to undermine the family's happiness and devotion to one another. As their three daughters become young women and face middle age, they must navigate the tumultuous decades of the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement, and the women's liberation movement. As for many immigrant children, the bar is set high for success, and in their journeys of self-discovery they upend their parents' hold on them to craft radically new identities for themselves. The heart of their parents' marriage remains a mystery, creating unexpected challenges for the daughters, who must learn along the way the power of love and forgiveness to overcome the most uncomfortable truths.
Monona Wali is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Her debut novel, My Blue Skin Lover, won the Independent Book Publishers Gold award for multicultural fiction. Born in Benares, India, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, as a child and now lives in Los Angeles, California.
"A sweeping tale about the lifelong negotiations between worlds. Immersive. Readable. The love in this luminous family saga is fierce and tested through the competing forces of devotion and reinvention." - Weike Wang, author of Rental House "Authentic Indian American family stories span almost five decades, featuring a philandering astrophysicist, a feminist philosopher, and their three spirited American daughters. The characters are honest, gentle, at times brutal, and always affectionate, with biting wit and profound humility. Wali's superb novel took my breath away." - Yang Huang, author of My Good Son "A grand literary achievement. This big, multigenerational, many-charactered story illuminates the myriad ways in which South Asian immigrants have made a home in the United States. It invites us to reflect on how we love and hate and, finally, if we are very lucky, how we forgive those we spend a lifetime with. I loved this book and these characters." - Nayomi Munaweera, author of What Lies Between Us
