Listening Now

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.