A woman’s ambitions clash with familial expectations in a captivating novel about generational secrets and self-discovery by the bestselling author of The Candid Life of Meena Dave.
Raised by her mother and grandmother and tutored in the healing wonders of spices, Tulsi Gupta is expected to carry on the ancestral tradition from her family’s Salem spice shop. Restless and reluctant, Tulsi yearns to follow her own path—destiny has other plans.
When Tulsi finds a letter written by her grandmother, addressed and never sent, that speaks of a long-ago betrayal, she decides to unravel the mystery as a distraction. But Tulsi stumbles into much more than she bargained for. With each new discovery, she learns there’s much more to her mother and grandmother than their expertise in the remedial aromas of coriander and cloves. When an attractive neighbor begins renovating the shuttered deli next door, Tulsi finds the courage to break her routine and chase the unexpected.
As Tulsi digs into the past and secrets come to light, she’s determined to heal old family wounds and find her true purpose—and maybe even love—every step of the way.
Genre: Fiction, Family, Womens Fiction, Romance, Ayurvedic Healing, Spice Healers
283 pages, Paperback
Expected publication June 1, 2024
Preorder Your Copy: Amazon | Goodreads
When I saw that this book was about a Spice Shop in Salem that practices Ayurvedic healing, I leapt at the chance to read it!! Alternative healing modalities have always been an interest of mine. I also love reading books that take place in Salem whether long ago or in a current setting. Let me tell you, this book did NOT disappoint!!
Tulsi loved her family deeply and had a great respect for their healing work and the culture it was rooted in, her culture… but sometimes a child grows up not wanting to take over the family business and that’s exactly what happened in this story! In a home where everything was planned out for her, Tulsi found herself steeped in wanderlust and itching to go anywhere but here.
Her deeply flawed but extraordinarily lovable family swept my heart away right from the very beginning. They kept secrets and didn’t talk about their feelings but they loved fiercely and they worked hard to stay personal and authentic in a filtered and edited social media era. I loved the shop, I loved the town, I loved their healing work, and I loved the people in her inner circle so much that I actually wanted Tulsi to give in, just stay in their little shop, and take her place as the next healer in line.
Alas, this was Tulsi’s story, not mine. We were just along for the ride and what an emotional ride it was! Tulsi had always followed the path her family laid out for her until one day she changed her tune and started digging for answers. I didn’t always agree with Tulsi but I loved watching her journey and seeing the relationships around her evolve as a result. I rooted for her to find what she was looking for and to find herself in the process. There was also a lovely budding romance that I looked forward to on every page!
I love a good coming of age, family connection, finding her inner purpose type of story and this book nailed it!
Namrata Patel is an Indian American writer who resides in Boston. Her writing examines diaspora and dual-cultural identity among Indian Americans and explores this dynamic while also touching on the families we’re born with and those we choose. Namrata has lived in India, New Jersey, Spokane, London, and New York City and has been writing most of her adult life. For more information visit www.nampatel.com.
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