The Storyteller's Secret

The Storyteller’s Secret, a fictional romance published by Lake Union Publishing in 2018, is written by former attorney and Goodreads Best Fiction finalist Sejal Badani. The novel tells the story of several generations of women as they cope with the grief, lost love, and emotional isolation that they encounter in their families and marriages. Told primarily from two different perspectives, The Storyteller’s Secret examines the patriarchal, colonial society of India in the 1930s and 1940s through Amisha, a young writer eager to secure freedom from her familial duties. Two generations later, Jaya, Amisha’s granddaughter, struggles to cope with the grief of several miscarriages and the dissolution of her marriage. She travels to India in the hopes of rediscovering her family’s hidden history and there learns of her grandmother’s incredible story of forbidden, unconditional love.

This guide references the paperback version of The Storyteller’s Secret published by Lake Union press. Please note: The guide uses the term “Untouchable” to refer to the Dalit caste, to reflect the novel’s usage of this label.

Plot Summary

As the narrative opens, Jaya experiences a third consecutive miscarriage. Her marriage to Patrick is threatened by Jaya’s inability to emotional share the burden of loss with her husband; Patrick proposes a separation, moving out of their apartment and casually seeing one of Jaya’s friends.