Amazon.com (ISBN 067945215X, Hardcover)

India, when you first set foot from the atmospherically controlled airplane into the steamy, redolent, cacophonous whirl of the street, can be an intensely overwhelming experience. Listening Now, on the other hand, takes you on an intimate tour through India's land and culture without your ever having to sidestep a single cow pie. A novel by Anjana Appachana, Listening Now tells the story of Mallika, a romantic and passionate child who recounts and bemoans the tragic tale of her mother Padma as she believes it to be. We then hear the same history related by Padma's sister, mother, and friends, and ultimately by Padma herself. Each retelling casts a fresh view and uncovers some new secrets, guilts, angers, and hurts until the full story of Padma's love is revealed. In the process, the "ordinary" middle-class lives of these Indian women assume a powerful reality.

Appachana has a wonderful ear for dialogue, especially when capturing the back and forth between Mallika and the various adults (mother, aunts, friends) who scold, teach, and love her. Appachana does a remarkable of job weaving the details of Indian life--the smells of the kitchen, the clink of the bracelets, the rhythm of the language--into this engrossing narrative of grief and joy, lies and truth. Reading Listening Now certainly is no substitute for a visit to India, but it's a lovely, peaceful, and moving way to absorb some of the essence of India from the comfort of your living room. --Stephanie Gold