by Mala Mahesh (Author)
Two Fascinating Women, One Unforgettable Story
Kerala, 1900. Wealth, beauty, and intellect - sixteen-year-old Padma has it all. Her husband worships her, her mother-in-law adores her, and everyone else looks up to her. Yet she continues to be deprived of the one thing her soul aches for: children. Desperate for an heir, her husband succumbs to familial pressures and agrees to a second marriage that turns her life upside down.
Mumbai, present day. Naina loves her life the way it is - an exciting career in advertising, married to the love of her life, and they've just decided to start a family. Sounds perfect? Except, it isn't. Naina soon discovers she cannot give her husband what he wants. Determined, they put their hopes in IVF (in vitro fertilization). But this is only the beginning of the storm that will soon rip Naina's life apart.
Two wilful women, separated by the chasm of time, negotiate their feminine identities, struggle against patriarchal forces, face accusations of crime, and resurgence of old wounds - all in pursuit of fulfilling their innermost desires. Powerful and unflinching, Padma offers an intimate portrait of womanhood in India that will captivate you from the very first page.