The
Lost Daughter of India
Chapter One
Caroline. Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1970
Caroline snuggled deeper into Meenakshi’s lap, her
favourite place in all the world. Meena’s whole body was a cushion, soft and
yielding, and when you cuddled into her it moulded around you and held you
safe. It was the best place for a five-year-old to spend a summer evening,
swaying gently in the rocking chair on the back porch, Meena’s arms around her
as she held the book.
The backyard smelt of summer: of sun and
moist earth from the water sprinkler gently waving to and fro. The sounds were
of summer too. Birds twittered in the chestnut tree in the centre of the
backyard, squirrels scampered across the branches, chattering among themselves.
The sights and sounds and fragrances of a leafy neighbourhood in Massachusetts,
America surrounded them. Meena didn’t smell of America. Meena had her own
distinctive smell, and Caroline breathed her in. She smelt of India, sweet and
spicy all at once, a thousand secret aromas all mingled together. It was in the
fabric of her saris, in her hair, in her very skin, dark as a hazelnut and
shiny as silk. It wafted, too from the pages of that book, which Meena had brought
with her from India when she was a
little girl, the same age as Caroline was now.
It was a big book, the biggest book on
Caroline’s shelf, with over a thousand pages. They had been reading it for
months now, every day a chapter, and it might be a year before it was finished,
and that was fine with Caroline. She hoped it would last for ever. It was that
sort of a book, the kind that took you off on journeys with different
characters to different places but sooner or later brought you back to the main
story; and you would understand the main story a little bit better because of
that little excursion. It was the sort of book that took you on a voyage far,
far away and made you live in another place and another time and become another
person while you were away. It was the sort of book that created vivid pictures
in your mind so that you were actually there
and then and among those people and even turned
you into those people so that they weren’t foreign any more because you became them.
Meena’s voice was perfect for the story.
It was languid but strong; Meena was never in a hurry to get to the end of a
story and close the book. She read as if she had all the time in the world, and
probably she did; and she could put on a man’s voice or a girl’s voice or a
demon’s voice or the voice of a god and make you believe that very person was
speaking. She could give you goosebumps, and make you quake in fear. She could
transport you into that person’s soul.
Right now, Caroline was in India, a
young prince disguised as a simple priest, and he was about to win the hand of
the most beautiful princess in the world, Draupadi.
‘“Arjuna
strode over to the bow, head held high,”’ Meena read, in her strongest
book-voice – her royal voice, Caroline called it. ‘“As effortlessly as Karna had done before him, he raised it; the kings
gasped. He picked up one of the glittering arrows, took aim at the fish
spinning high above, released the arrow. With a silver streak almost invisible
to the eye it pierced the eye of the fish, which tumbled to the ground. A roar
as thunder filled the arena; furious, fuming, the assembled kings waved their
fists and screamed insults into the arena; but Arjuna was unmoved.
“With three wide springs he leapt onto the royal dais
and stood before Draupadi, holding out his hand. Dhrishtadyumna helped his
sister to her feet and placed her hand in Arjuna’s. Conch moaned and trumpet
blared as Arjuna led his bride away: like a young celestial with a heavenly apsara…”’
(‘What’s an apsara?’ asked Caroline, and Meena replied in her normal
Meena voice: ‘a heavenly dancing maiden.’) ‘“…like
god Vishnu with his consort, the goddess Lakshmi, like the sun with the moon by
his side, the two left the arena, flowers raining down on them from heaven.
Brahmins cheered, kings raged. Karna fell to the ground. The four remaining
Pandavas looked at each other and they, too, left.”’
Meena closed the book. ‘And that, my
sweet, is enough for today.’
‘No!’ cried Caroline. ‘I want to know
what happened next! Do the Pandavas get their kingdom back? Do they come out of
hiding? Does Draupadi have to go and live with them in the forest? What
happens, Meena?’
‘Well, you will just have to be a bit
more patient, because tomorrow I will read to you some more. Your mommy and
daddy will be home from work any time now and they will want to see you and
hear what you have been doing all day.’
Caroline pouted. ‘I want you to read
some more! I want—’
‘What! What are you telling me! What
happens to little children who say I want
all the time?’
‘“I want never gets,”’ replied Caroline,
her bottom lip stuck out. ‘I know. But still. It’s not fair.’
‘Life isn’t fair,’ Meena said as she
lifted her up and placed her on the ground. Laying the book on the porch table,
she tilted the chair forward and slowly, with much effort, pushed her cushiony
body to her feet, grasped Caroline’s hand and led her indoors, through the
kitchen where Lucia was cooking the evening meal, into the hall and up the
stairs to Caroline’s bedroom to get her ready for her parents’ homecoming. Her
three older brothers were still outside, at friends’ homes, playing baseball on
the street, climbing trees; the things boys do after school. They’d be in soon,
too.
Caroline’s father was a lawyer; he
worked very hard and sometimes he didn’t make it home for dinner. But her
mother, a doctor, always did; and it was her mother who, after dinner, would
give her her bath and put her to bed and read her a story. But those stories
were never as real as the ones Meenakshi told from memory, or read from books:
stories of Indian kings and queens, heroes and villains and gods disguised as
animals or beggars; cows who could fulfil desires and deer who could speak and
monsters who could change shape at will.
If you asked Caroline what she wanted to
be when she grew up, she’d say, like many an American little girl, a princess.
But Caroline would be no Disney princess. She’d marry a prince like Arjuna, and
ride to her wedding in a howdah on an elephant’s back wearing a fabulous sari
adorned with real jewels; and her palace would be in India.
Caroline was in love with India before
she could even write the word. She could point to it on the globe, and she’d
tell anyone who asked that that was
where she’d live when she grew up. Adults would laugh indulgently, and pat her
on the head, and tell her she was dreaming; but Caroline knew it was destiny.
She would grow up to marry an Indian
prince.
The Lost Daughter of India by Sharon Maas
UK: US:
One woman. One impossible choice. Her daughter or her happiness …
When Caroline meets Kamal the attraction is instant. He’s enchanting, charismatic and she can’t wait to set up a new life with him in India. Both their families are against the union but Caroline is convinced they’ll come round, especially when she gives birth to a beautiful daughter, Asha.
Asha is an adorable child but Caroline, homesick and beginning to hate the remote Indian village they live in, struggles with motherhood. Kamal is hardly ever there and she feels more and more isolated. In the grips of severe depression Caroline flees back to America, leaving Asha behind.
Ten years later …
Caroline recovered from her illness, is consumed by thoughts of the daughter she abandoned. Desperate to find Asha, she reunites with Kamal, intent on tracking her down. Will they ever be able to find their lost daughter? If they have any chance, they must confront the painful truths of the past and a terrible secret that has been kept for many years, until now.
A heart-breaking and beautifully written story of loss, secrets and the strength of a mother’s love against all odds. If you enjoyed Diane Chamberlain and Lucinda Riley then this book will find its way into your heart and stay there.
What everyone is saying about The Lost Daughter of India:
'Evocative and atmospheric ... Heartbreaking on so many levels - a rich tapestry of a novel and a worthy read on any shelf' The Book Trail
'I have read and loved all of Sharon Maas's books but this one! Wow! I think this is her most emotional and beautiful book yet! Such a powerful story, so brilliantly narrated, in such a way that you feel part of it all and are left bereft when it is finished. Five Stars!' Renita D'Silva
'This book has everything. Great characters, interesting perspective and strong settings. Put all these together with a fantastic writing style and this easily makes my top 10 books of 2016 list' Lexi Reads
'My heart was in my mouth reading this story but it is a terrific read nevertheless.' 27 Book Street
The meddling moms of Forest River live for a good scandal. Speculation surrounding Claire Conroy’s sex life has fueled the rumor mill for years. Now, when Claire returns home from a trip to Italy separated from her husband of thirteen years, the imaginations of the Lululemon-clad ladies’ who lunch spin into overdrive. As the gossipmongers create their own scandalous backstory for the separation, blaming Claire’s infidelity, she learns the hard way just how mean mommies can be.
