Tara moves to the American South three years after her arranged marriage to tech executive Sanjay. Ignored and lonely, Tara finds herself reliving childhood memories that scarred her for life. When she was eight, her parents moved to Dubai to make a new life for the family, taking her baby brother along with them but leaving Tara behind in Mangalore with her aging grandparents and a schizophrenic uncle. Tara's memories of abandonment and isolation mirror her present life of loneliness and escalating abuse at the hands of her husband until, in a moment of truth, she discovers the importance of self-worth—a revelation that gives her the courage to break free, even at the risk of being shunned by her community. After leaving Sanjay, Tara gently rebuilds her life and even marries her childhood love, Cyrus and her life with him is beautiful, until old fears come knocking. Ultimately, Tara must face these fears, both to save her marriage and to confront the victim-shaming society she was raised within.
Veena Rao is an award-winning journalist and author. Purple Lotus, her recently released debut novel, is a 2021 American Fiction Award winner, a 2021 Georgia Author of the Year finalist, and an award-winning finalist in the multicultural and women?s fiction categories of the 2021 International Book Awards. She is the founding editor of NRI Pulse, an Atlanta-based news publication. She has been recognized by The Limca Book of Records as the first Indian woman to edit and publish a newspaper outside India. When she is not writing or meeting press deadlines, you will find her meditating or photographing the flora and fauna on her wooded walk route.
Venna RaoAdd a review
Login to write a review.
Customer questions & answers