2022-10-26
The members of a Hindu family torn apart during the chaos of Partition in India try to rebuild their lives and community in this deeply felt novel.
Nabakumar, a Bengali village doctor, and Bina, his quiltmaker wife, are looking forward to India’s independence from British rule and the possibilities they hope it will bring for their three daughters: Deepa, Jamini, and Priya, whether in terms of marriages or educational pursuits. Instead, despite his optimism for the future, Nabakumar is killed during a riot that follows a Muslim political party meeting outside of his medical clinic in Calcutta, a loss which upends the family and renders them even more dependent on their neighbors. In the aftermath, mother and daughters struggle to earn money and to ensure their own safety. Deepa must hide her relationship with a Muslim man and is disowned by her mother when it is discovered. Their secret cross-religion marriage becomes even more dangerous as her husband becomes politically powerful in the Muslim League, and the two must relocate to the newly created Pakistan. Priya is at a loss for how to follow in her father’s footsteps to become a doctor, especially after she is denied entry to a local college due to ongoing discrimination against women. When she is accepted into medical school in the United States after an offer to finance her education, the decision of whether to pursue her dreams strains her relationship with Amit, a longtime family friend and her fiance, whom Jamini is also in love with. As the threats mount, the sisters are forced to rely on each other once again in a culminating rush of events. The author’s latest novel is an engaging family saga that explores resilience against a backdrop of violent national upheaval. The story is well paced as it follows its cast of characters through a chaotic world while still capturing the rich interiority of each of the three daughters.
A moving depiction of family life following great loss.
"A powerful, gripping, and beautifully told story of three women navigating the crossroads of history. Divakaruni's eye is both unflinching and deeply compassionate, encompassing all the complexities of the sisters' lives. I couldn't put it down." — Madeline Miller, New York Times bestselling author of Circe and Song of Achilles
“A spellbinding saga of the decolonization and partition of the Indian subcontinent, with a cast of vividly drawn, compelling characters.” — Amitav Ghosh, award-winning author
“A national movement unsettles a country. Only a powerful imagination can recreate how profoundly it changes three women’s lives.” — Nayantara Sahgal, award-winning author
“Divakaruni’s latest brilliant novel coincides with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the independence of India from British rule and its partition into India, Pakistan, and East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). With great attention to detail regarding the political and religious upheaval this caused and its impact on ordinary citizens, Divakaruni tells a highly nuanced tale of a Hindu Bengali family living in the village of Ranipur near Calcutta…Woven throughout their stories is the violence, rage, and anguish of a divided nation, all stirringly depicted by Divakaruni in unforgettable prose.” — Booklist (starred review)
"Divakaruni captures the upheaval and devastation of the partition of British India in this dazzling tale of three Hindu sisters caught up in the violent events...This is a must." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"I have long been a fan of Chitra Divakaruni’s novels, but Independence is now my favorite. She tells the story of India’s independence through the eyes of three sisters, each of whom is uniquely different, with her own desires and flaws. I cheered for them and cried with them as they move through the history of their country that is at once devastating, inspiring, and triumphant. You will, too." — Lisa See, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“One of Divakaruni’s greatest strengths as a novelist is the sheer strength of her characterization. The psychological acuity with which she presents her characters’ motivations and their leaps of faith is remarkable. . . Independence, her latest novel, is arguably her finest yet, a book that has big ambitions but an even bigger heart.” — First Post
“For those of us who read to escape the banalities of daily life, Chitra Divakaruni’s books are oxygen. She writes about India in a way that makes the rest of the world disappear around you.” — Chicago Tribune
"The author’s latest novel is an engaging family saga that explores resilience against a backdrop of violent national upheaval. The story is well paced as it follows its cast of characters through a chaotic world while still capturing the rich interiority of each of the three daughters. A moving depiction of family life following great loss." — Kirkus Reviews
“Lyrical and richly detailed, Independence explores the implications of its title not only for a country, but for the young women who must learn to deal with a perilous, exciting new world.” — Shelf Awareness
"As a story of strife and social disarray, of blind hatred and clear-sighted courage, Independence speaks to the present moment. With its limpid and luminous prose, it effortlessly brings home the lessons of our past." — Scroll.in
“The title Independence refers not only to the Indian freedom struggle but to women’s struggle for freedom. Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, who teaches creative writing at the University of Houston, has written a powerful novel that will resonate across cultures. Three Sisters, with its Chekhovian echo, would be a good title as well.” — New York Journal of Books