Cobalt Blue

In modern-day India, the Joshi family is split along generational lines: parents Aai and Baba value traditions and the home, while two of their children, Tanay and Anuja, seek more from their lives than marriage. Into this volatile mix comes a mysterious, alluring tenant who takes over the upstairs room. Both Tanay and Anuja fall in love with the man, who remains nameless throughout the novel. A soft-spoken artist, he has forsaken his last name and refuses to elaborate on his troubled past. The story is narrated first by Tanay and then by his sister, Anuja, as they recount the events leading up to Anuja’s running away with the man and her eventual return. In these combative siblings, Kundalkar has created two powerful, singular voices. Tanay is intimate and sensual, and his narrative lingers over precise moments, turning them over incessantly as he searches for meaning. Anuja’s introspection reflects her more focused personality and reveals her inner nature: rebellious, impulsive, and self-centered. As she gets over her heartache, Anuja wonders why her brother is not happier to see her return. Both siblings, in their own ways, try to reconcile the man they loved with his sudden desertion, and their own willingness to unquestioningly follow him. In his debut novel, Kundalkar combines two distinct and complementary voices to deliver a complex and intricate story about love, family, and making one’s own path. (Aug.)