I received an advance copy of this book directly from the author, for whom I have reviewed several other books prior, namely the list below. While my short story tastes by this author are a mixed bag, the first book I read from her was a most exquisite novel, and I’m thrilled that this one was as well!

• A Quiet Dissonance
• Parvathy’s Well & Other Stories
• Damage & Other Stories
• Holi Moly! & Other Stories

The Premise

Pari is thrilled to befriend the new girl Samira, who seems to have what Pari always wanted for herself. Samira’s beauty and wealth evokes adoration from admirers all around, but her life at home is not quite as enviable — her mother is frequently unwell and does not have much of a relationship with her, and her father is often away on business. Samira craves the easygoing, loving family home that Pari shares with her brother Srinivas and their parents, but she is always on the outside looking in — even more so when Madhu’s family comes to live with them, and her mother soon cozies up to the impoverished but brilliant Madhu. And then there’s Roma, who sets her sights on the boy of her dreams, and whose jealousy and hatred for Samira only keep growing. Decades ago, these four young girls formed an inseparable bond — until a shocking event ripped them apart. In the present time, there seems to be hope that they can unite as friends again — but is it too late?

The Pros & Cons

This was an epic, gripping women’s fiction that takes you through decades of friendship — and frenemy-ship — as it recounts the family lives of four young girls as they mature into womanhood. Opening with a tragic event, the reader is left in the dark trying to piece together why it will eventually happen and to whom.

Told from four different points of view, we get an in-depth look at the inner workings of the minds of each of these complex characters, and it was fascinating to gain that insight. I especially loved the genuine friendship that blossoms between Pari and Madhu in their later years as adults, which was a stark difference from the girlish bond between Pari and Samira. My favourite character, though, was the legendary — and deeply misunderstood — Samira, who bears the burden of beauty and wealth coupled with an emptiness she can never overcome. Her story is an emotional gut-punch — as is Madhu’s, whose rising stardom crumbles to ashes due to circumstances beyond her control.

The author aptly captures the nuances of the female psyche — the uncertainty of self, the jealousy of others, the fear of rejection, the glossy thrill of first love, the underlying hatred behind a youthful giggle. The prose is eloquent and visceral, and the intricacies of their intersections of friendships are a curious blend of happenstance and fate. The story unfolds with a deep, thought-provoking insight into the most overwhelming of emotions that we all someday face: loss, grief, forgiveness, and regret. It is also an atmospheric tale that transports you to its key location of Delhi, India, with a sprinkling of authenticity in the language and the sense of community and family among its characters. I also particularly appreciated the — often unexplored — aspect of a woman’s life (and in particular, an Indian woman’s life) that achieves success, fulfillment, and peace within oneself without the necessity of a romantic relationship with a man or the societal requirement to bear children.

With so much to love here, it’s hard to pick apart for flaws. Usually with stories that span decades, I find issues with pacing, and here it does admittedly start off a tad slow at the very beginning. However, this is necessary in this case, as it focuses on the initiation and blossoming of these friendships as children, before leaping to the present when the main characters reunite as middle-aged women. The leisurely unraveling of each character pulls you in, exquisitely carving them out in all their raw and flawed youthful naïveté, and it was a joy to relish in the novel’s journey.

Conclusion

Overall, this is a timeless tale that will resonate with readers — particularly, women readers — everywhere. We can all see a little of ourselves in each of these girls, and our own painful pasts in the tragedies they face. Though we know this group’s friendship is somehow doomed from the beginning, there is always a flutter of hope that something survives that impending collision at the intersection of life. I truly enjoyed this novel and am happy to recommend it to others, and I look forward to the next one from this author.

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