Book description
On her fourteenth birthday, Mira Levenson is given a very special
present - a plane ticket to India, to meet her family. Saying goodbye to
her boyfriend, Jide, is hard but they promise to write to each other,
the old-fashioned way. As soon as Mira steps off the plane she is sucked
into a swelteringly hot world of hustle, bustle, noise and chaos.
Nothing is as she imagined it - her cousin Priya is far from the
conservative Indian girl Mira imagined her to be - she's street-wise,
stylish and a skilfull Bangra House DJ. In return, Priya is disapointed
that Mira isn't quite the funky, savvy, London Brit-chick she's been
boasting about to her friends. Mira's letters to Jide describe the new
sights, smells and people in Kolkata, but there is one person Mira
doesn't write about. Janu is a carpenter and grower of Jasmine and, from
the moment she meets him, Mira feels a potent connection. As she
questions her feelings for Jide, Mira is also discovering deep family
secrets and beginning to understand the complexity of relationships that
have stood the test of time. And, as Mira's time in Kolkata draws to a
close, she must make a decision that will break someone's heart . . .
Sita Brahmachari was born in Derby in 1966 to an Indian doctor from
Kolkata and an English nurse from the Lake District. She has a BA in
English Literature and an MA in Arts Education. Her many projects and
writing commissions have been produced in theatres, universities,
schools and community groups throughout Britain and America. Sita lives
and works in North London with her husband, three children and a
temperamental cat.