Description

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'One of the best books for 2023' Cosmopolitan

Against a rising tide of fundamentalism in India, a mother and daughter lose the most important man in their lives.

Shashi, fifty-something and suddenly widowed, tries to contact her only daughter, Tara, to break the news, but cannot reach her. As Shashi confronts her loss, she finds, amidst grief, unexpected new freedoms.

Meanwhile, Tara, a spoiled but brilliant university student, has retreated to Dharamsala to deal with the fall out from an ill-advised relationship. Her self-imposed solitude makes contact near impossible, so by the time she learns of her loss, the funeral is already over.

Without the man that bound them, Shashi and Tara struggle to reconcile. But his absence also makes them a target for an emerging religious group determined to put women in their place, and Shashi and Tara individually prepare to defend their independence.

If mother and daughter are to come together, they must find a way to understand both their new world, and each other. But can you ever emerge from an eclipse unscathed?

'Lyrical throughout yet so deceptively easygoing... an extraordinary novel' André Aciman
'Powerful, evocative and accomplished – it's hard to believe The Illuminated is a debut' Alice Ryan
'Gives voice to a new generation' BBC Radio 4

About the Author

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Anindita Ghose is a writer and journalist based in Mumbai. She was previously the Editor of the Saturday magazine Mint Lounge and the Features Director of Vogue India. She completed her MA in Linguistics and Semiotics from the University of Mumbai and has an MA in Arts & Culture Journalism from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism in New York. In 2019, she was a Hawthornden Writing Fellow. The Illuminated is her first novel.

Praise For…

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“An extremely elegant work, an interesting take on the universality of feminism from a uniquely Indian perspective.'” —Irish Independent

“A clever nuanced debut novel” —Platinum Magazine

“One of the Best Books for January 2023!” —Cosmopolitan

“Lyrical throughout yet so deceptively easygoing... The Illuminated is an extraordinary novel” —André Aciman, author of Call Me By Your Name

“A novel of such self-assurance one can scarcely believe it is the author's first” —Shanta Gokhale

“An incisive portrayal of the abusve and exploitation that thrives as duty, perhaps even attraction, in relationships” —Shubhangi Swarup

“Sad and funny and wise, The Illuminated is one of those books that will make you hug your loved ones tight” —Akhil Sharma

“Powerful, evocative and accomplished – it's hard to believe The Illuminated is a debut.” —Alice Ryan

“One of the best debuts, a must-read for 2023!” —Harper's Bazaar Australia