A Good Indian Girl

by Mansi Shah

Genres: Cultural Heritage; Family Life; Women's Fiction

Synopsis

From a Canadian-born, LA-based author, a fun, heartfelt and thought-provoking novel that is One Italian Summer meets Balli Kaur Jaswal, about a disgraced Indian-American divorcee and former chef who spends a summer in Italy, reconnecting with her passion for cooking and reckoning with cultural expectations to make a life-changing decision.

Jyoti has always been the ideal second-generation Indian daughter. She stayed out of trouble, looked after her younger sisters and married a man her parents approved of. So when her husband, Ashok, forces her to quit her dream job as head chef of his family’s restaurant to focus on starting a family, she obliges. 

But despite Jyoti’s tireless efforts to provide children, when it becomes clear that she cannot carry a baby to term, Ashok leaves her for a younger woman. Jyoti’s new status as an unemployed divorcee is a disgrace to her traditional Gujarati family, and she flees New York to visit her best friend in Tuscany. 

Sumptuous meals, warm Italian sunshine and la bella vita reawaken the passion that Jyoti has lost, leading to a serendipitous opportunity that could help her buy Ashok’s restaurant. But when Jyoti’s Indian-Italian culinary fusion unexpectedly goes viral, her aunties immediately find out and gossip ensues, estranging her even further from her family back home. 

Then a shocking revelation comes to light, leading Jyoti to reconsider her relationship with Ashok. Now she must decide what she truly desires—family approval, career growth, even motherhood—before the summer ends.

Publisher: HarperCollins Canada

Print pages: 304