The Storyteller's Secret

One of the novel’s two protagonists, Jaya is a journalist who suffers her third miscarriage at the beginning of the narrative. Her relationship with her husband Patrick suffers when she struggles to express her grief at these losses. Her depression is exacerbated by the fact that she feels emotionally alienated from her mother Lena. When Patrick proposes a separation, Jaya decides to travel to India in the hopes of healing her depression by discovering her previously estranged extended family.

Creating a family is deeply entwined with Jaya’s notions of self and womanhood. In India, a break from Patrick and her normal life gives Jaya the space to contemplate the privileges, blessings, and love that she has taken for granted. Though Jaya was adamantly set on carrying a child herself, visiting the Ashram’s orphanage and hearing about Amisha’s struggle with gendered restrictions allows Jaya to accept the limitations of her body. She decides to adopt a child in India, a path she has never considered before.

As Jaya learns more about her mother’s life through Amisha’s story, she sees Lena with more compassion. By the conclusion of the narrative, Jaya has bridged the emotional gap between her mother and herself, establishing a more open and connected relationship.