From the highly acclaimed, award-winning author of Arranged Marriage and Mistress of Spices, comes a passionate novel about the extraordinary ties between Sudha and Anju, who have bonded in every way since they were born. However, family secrets and romantic jealousies threaten to tear them apart. Pushed into arranged marriages when their family businesses begin to fail, their lives become separated. Sudha becomes the dutiful daughter-in-law of a rigid Calcutta household, while Anju moves to America with a new husband. But when tragedy strikes both of them, they need each other to turn to despite the great distance.

“The power of stories and the strength of women who tell them are lovingly rendered in...a tale as rich and bountiful as the scents and sounds of Calcutta.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Her literary voice is a sensual bridge between worlds. India and America. Children and parents. Men and women. Passion and pragmatism.”—USA Today

“Irresistible....With this enchanting novel, Divakaruni shows herself to be a skilled cartographer of the heart.”—People

“Evokes all the trials and splendor of a fairy tale.... Her intricate tapestry of old and new worlds shines with rare luminosity as Divakaruni celebrates the beauty and sustenance to be found in bonds wrought between women.”—The San Diego Union-Tribune

“Beautifully blends the chills of reality with the rich imaginings of a fairy tale.”—The Wall Street Journal

 
WINNER - New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

 
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, born in India, is an award-winning poet. In 1995 her short story collection, Arranged Marriage, was awarded the PEN Oakland Josephine Miles Prize for Fiction, the Bay Area Book Reviewers Award for Fiction, and an American Book Award from the Before Columbus Foundation. She is also the author of the bestselling novel The Mistress of Spices, and four poetry collections, including Leaving Yuba City.