by Anita Desai
First published 2018
Bimla teaches at a women's college and lives in her childhood home in Old Delhi, caring for her mentally challenged brother Baba. She feels dissatisfied despite her ambitions. Her younger sister Tara has married and moved away, content with her unambitious life and children. Their brother Raja has achieved popularity and success. When Tara returns to visit Bimla and Baba, the reunion stirs up old family memories and buried tensions. The sisters confront their different life choices and the resentments that have built up over the years. Their family drama unfolds against the backdrop of Old Delhi's declining Hindu middle class neighborhood. As the visit progresses, each sister gains new understanding about herself and their shared past.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, 20th-century, family-drama, academic
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-drama, sibling-rivalry
Setting: Delhi, India, Old Delhi
Period: 20th-century
192 pages · Kindle Edition · Open Road Media
Content warnings: mental-illness