Mira Jacob

For fans of J. Courtney Sullivan, Meg Wolitzer, Mona Simpson, and Jhumpa Lahiri comes a winning, irreverent debut novel about a family wrestling with its future and its past.

With depth, heart, and agility, debut novelist Mira Jacob takes us on a deftly plotted journey that ranges from 1970s India to suburban 1980s New Mexico to Seattle during the dot.com boom. "The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing "is an epic, irreverent testimony to the bonds of love, the pull of hope, and the power of making peace with life's uncertainties.

Celebrated brain surgeon Thomas Eapen has been sitting on his porch, talking to dead relatives. At least that is the story his wife, Kamala, prone to exaggeration, tells their daughter, Amina, a photographer living in Seattle. Reluctantly Amina returns home and finds a situation that is far more complicated than her mother let on, with roots in a trip the family, including Amina's rebellious brother Akhil, took to India twenty years earlier. Confronted by Thomas's unwillingness to explain himself, strange looks from the hospital staff, and a series of puzzling items buried in her mother's garden, Amina soon realizes that the only way she can help her father is by coming to terms with her family's painful past. In doing so, she must reckon with the ghosts that haunt all of the Eapens.

Advance praise for The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing

"An emotionally bountiful debut . . . The author has a wonderful flair for recreating the messy sprawl of family life, with all its joy, sadness, frustration, and anger."--Publishers Weekly

"Punchy, clever, and stuffed with delicious chapatis, Mira Jacob's first novel jumps effortlessly from India to the States, creating a vibrant portrait of a world in flux."--Gary Shteyngart, author of Little Failure

Mira Jacob is the founder of Pete's Reading Series in New York City and has an MFA from the New School for Social Research. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and son. The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing is her first novel.

Location: Street: 4022 Rio Grande Blvd NW City: Albuquerque, Province: New Mexico Postal Code: 87107-3157 Country: United States (added from IndieBound)… (more)

Anecdotes and advice on how to write and publish a first-time novel from a diverse group of terrific writers. The panel of authors are: Mira Jacob The Sleepwalker's Guide to Dancing, Courtney Maum I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You, Ted Thompson The Land of Steady Habits and
Tiphanie Yanique Land of Love and Drowning. Moderated by Julia Fierro Cutting Teeth Founder of Sackett Street Writers' Workshop.

"Word for Word Author" is an outdoor reading series that features bestselling authors, celebrity writers, and expert-panelists sharing anecdotes, answering questions from the audience, and signing copies of their latest books.

The Bryant Park Reading Room located on the 42nd Street side of the park - under the trees - between the back of the NYPL on 5th Avenue & 6th Avenue. Look for the burgundy and white umbrellas.

In case of rain, events are held under a tent at the Reading Room. In case of severe weather, please check bryantpark.org for the indoor location. (wforw2008)… (more)