One Of My Favorite Indian Authors

I just finished "The Sound Of Language" by Amulya Malladi. I have read all her books and this is her most recent. I loved it so much that I read it in two days.

Each of her novels is different: different settings, different subject matter, different organization, different plot set up, and this time, her main character is Afghani instead of Indian. She writes honestly and develops the main characters so well that you feel like you know them; they stay with you long after you've read the last page. The characters are complex; they don't necessarily fit the commonly projected stereotypes and the protagonists exhibit the full gamut of talents, strengths, faults and weaknesses.

The basic plot of this story is the life of an Afghan refugee, Raihana, who comes to live in Denmark with distant family members after the death of her husband by the Taliban. Equally important is the life of a Dane named Gunnar, who is recently widowed and very depressed. Raihana, as part of her acculuration program, is assigned to Gunnar to help him with his beekeeping activities. She benefits by learning Danish faster and the skills of beekeeping, and he benefits as she helps to pull him out of his depression. The interesting complications come from their family members, as East meets West and assumptions and prejudices are challenged on both sides.