A Life Apart

A Life Apart tells two stories. Ritwik, twenty-two and orphaned, escapes from a devastating childhood of abuse in Calcutta to what he considers to be a new world, full of possibilities, in England, where he has a chance to start all over again. But his past, especially the all-consuming relationship with his mother, is a minefield: will Ritwik find the salvation he is looking for? Set in India, England and in Raj Bengal, this award-winning first novel is about dislocation and alienation, outsiders and losers, the tenuous and unconscious intersections of lives and histories, and the consolations of storytelling. Unsentimental yet full of compassion, and written with unrelenting honesty, this scalding debut marks a new turning point in writing from India.

From the author of Color Me Butterfly, a poignant novel about a decades-long love affair and the complicated and unbreakable ties between two families that live worlds apart. Morris Sullivan joins the navy in 1940 with a love of ships and high hopes. Though he leaves behind his new wife, Agnes, and their baby daughter, he is thrilled to be pursuing his lifelong dream—but things change when he is shipped off to Pearl Harbor when the war begins. When he narrowly survives the 1941 attack thanks to the courage of a black sailor he doesn't know, Morris is determined to seek out the man's family and express his gratitude and respect. On leave, he tracks down the man's sister in his own hometown of Boston—and finds an immediate and undeniable connection with the nurturing yet fiercely independent Beatrice, who has left the stifling South of her upbringing for the more liberal, integrated north. Though both try to deny their growing bond, their connection and understanding is everything missing from Morris's hasty marriage to his high school sweetheart and from Beatrice's plodding life as she grieves the brother she has lost. At once a family epic and a historical drama that brings the streets and neighborhoods of Boston vividly to life from World War II through the civil rights era to the present day, A Life Apart takes readers along for the emotional journey as Morris and Beatrice's relationship is tested by time, family loyalties, unending guilt, racial tensions, death, and the profound effects of war.

In this thought-provoking memoir, a celebrated writer explores the one story she couldn’t tell until now—her own. One of Hindi’s most beloved writers, Prabha Khaitan spent much of her life as the ‘second’ woman enmeshed in a long-term relationship with a married man. Born to a conservative family, Khaitan defied tradition, insisting on living life as a single woman, setting up her own business and earning the respect of her peers in the corporate world. Despite her yearning to be loved and cherished by the man to whom she gave her heart, Prabha Khaitan nevertheless lived life on her own terms. With a rare and refreshing frankness, Prabha Khaitan writes of her feelings, her sense of discomfort and unease at not being the ‘legitimate’ woman, about what she gained and lost from a relationship that was frowned upon by society and how she struggled to become her own woman. In doing so, she reflects on marriage, relationships, intimacy and distance, the professional and the personal, and the ways in which women are caught within these often conflicting forces. Published by Zubaan.

Rebecca's parents were born to very different families. One wealthy, one all but destitute, they were united only by their striking mutual beauty. But the sole child to bless their great romantic fairy tale is a daughter of startling ugliness. The shock of having given birth to such a monster leads the mother to withdraw both herself and her daughter from the world. Only by keeping her child indoors, away from strangers' eyes, can she protect her from their disgust. But against all odds, with a little help from some remarkable friends, Rebecca discovers a talent for music that proves that inner beauty can outshine any other. A Life Apart is an irresistible modern fable that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt that they don't belong.

Largely based on original interviews conducted by the authors.

The author delves into the mystery of why a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, whose mature novels were both well reviewed and widely read, disappeared so rapidly from critical and popular notice. He considers his subject one of the major novelists of the twentieth century, certain that in the eyes of history Cozzens will be seen as the consummately skilled, uniquely American, brilliantly creative writer that this prodigiously researched biography vividly and convincingly portrays.--Provided by publisher.

Darcy may have been forced to marry Elizabeth Bennet - but nobody could force him to live with her Enraged at the Bennet family's manipulation, Darcy takes his new wife to Pemberley and leaves her there. He returns to London, with every intention of making his life apart from her. But as time goes on, he cannot avoid the feeling that he has left something very special in Derbyshire. Perhaps it is not just Pemberley he misses? Estranged from her family, and now trapped in a marriage she never wanted, Elizabeth must make a new life alone. With her husband's family against her, she needs to take drastic measures if she is to find a way through this. The only question is, does she want to escape from Darcy, or to him? Can a family's betrayal ever be forgiven? And when a marriage starts without love, can love ever be found? A Life Apart is a sweet and clean Regency Romance of 94,000 words.

Rebecca's parents were born to very different families. One wealthy, one all but destitute, they were united only by their striking mutual beauty. But the sole child to bless their great romantic fairy tale is a daughter of startling ugliness. The shock of having given birth to such a monster leads the mother to withdraw both herself and her daughter from the world. Only by keeping her child indoors, away from strangers' eyes, can she protect her from their disgust. But against all odds, with a little help from some remarkable friends, Rebecca discovers a talent for music that proves that inner beauty can outshine any other. A Life Apart is an irresistible modern fable that will resonate with anyone who has ever felt that they don't belong.