Lelobooks excerpt: “Where Earth Meets Water” by Pia Padukone

Pia Padukone, in her book, “Where Earth Meets Water” has given a demarcation in an instant, like a in a moment as when the ocean tides push and pull the grains of sand and take it away with its flow having its backdrop of an avalanche cascading down a mountain, a torrential downpour onto a parched field of crops. Each entity is both independent from and beholden to the other for survival. And each is affected by the other’s behavior.

"Padukone’s vignettes --- set both in an India defined by its 'mustiness of cardamom and mustard and mothballs' and the gritty streets of a post-9/11 New York --- are imbued with vivid detail. So, too, her characters are anything but bland or passive."

The author has made her debut with this emotional AND spectacular in which, one man searches for meaning in the wake of incomparable tragedy Pia, in the books tells the story of Karom Seth, who is the heart of the book, whose guilt prevents him from leaving his past behind. He was playing hooky the morning of September 11, 2001, when his class takes a stopover the World Trade Center.

He thinks that he should have been in the Twin Towers on the morning of 9/11, and on the Indian shores in 2004, when the tsunami swept his entire family into the ocean. Whether it's a curse or a blessing, Karom can't be sure, but his absence from these disasters has left him with crushing guilt-and a belief that fate has singled him out for invincibility.

Karom's problem brought everyone near him, from his best friend, Lloyd, to his girlfriend, Gita, who anticipates that an expedition to India will bring him some peace. It happens in Delhi that he meets Gita's grandmother, Kamini-an eccentric, but a sensible woman having secrets of her own. At first Karom dismisses Kamini, but later when he realizes that she will ultimately lead him to the clarity that he has been hunting for. 

Straddling across the globe from New York to India, Where Earth Meets Water is a spectacular portrait of a pursuit for human understanding, and a astute investigation of misery, endurance and love in all its forms.

About the Author:

Pia Padukone was born, raised and continues to live in New York City. A graduate of Stuyvesant High School and the London School of Economics, Pia has worked as a copywriter in healthcare advertising. In their spare time, Pia and her husband write Two Admirable Pleasures, a blog that combines their shared passions for books and the culinary dishes that are inspired by them. Pia debuts with Where Earth Meets Water and is working on her second novel.

The book is available at lelobooks, a leading online bookstore in India, which keeps updating its bookshelf with the latest releases and has millions of books in its inventory. Indulge in online book shopping and order now for availing attractive discounts. Hurry Now!