Mother Land: A Novel [9780062938855]

Overview

From the critically acclaimed author of America for
Beginners, a wonderfully insightful, witty, and heart-piercing novel, set
in Mumbai, about an impulsive American woman, her headstrong Indian
mother-in-law, and the unexpected twists and turns of life that bond them.

 “Lively and
evocative, Mother Land is a deftly crafted exploration of identity and
culture, with memorable and deeply human characters who highlight how that
which makes us different can ultimately unite us.”—Amy Myerson, author of The
Bookshop of Yesterdays and The Imperfects

When Rachel Meyer, a thirtysomething foodie from New York,
agrees to move to Mumbai with her Indian-born husband, Dhruv, she knows some
culture shock is inevitable. Blessed with a curious mind and an independent
spirit, Rachel is determined to learn her way around the hot, noisy, seemingly
infinite metropolis she now calls home.

But the ex-pat American’s sense of adventure is sorely
tested when her mother-in-law, Swati, suddenly arrives from Kolkata—a thousand
miles away—alone, with an even more shocking announcement: she’s left her
husband of more than forty years and is moving in with them. Nothing the
newlyweds say can budge the steadfast Swati, and as the days pass, it becomes
clear she is here to stay—an uneasy situation that becomes more difficult when
Dhruv is called away on business.

Suddenly these two strong-willed women from such very
different backgrounds are alone together in a home that each is determined to
run in her own way—a situation that ultimately brings into question the very
things in their lives that had seemed perfect and permanent . . . with results
neither of them expect.

Heartfelt, charming, deeply insightful and wise, Mother
Land introduces us to two complex women from very different cultures . . .
who maybe have more in common than they realize.