Think of how far you’ve come,” Maggie said softly. “And then ask yourself how much farther you wish to go

Resolutely ignoring Banu’s dark mutterings, steeling herself against the barrage of harsh words that questioned her motives, her upbringing, and her morality

We are earthbound creatures, Maggie had thought. No matter how tempting the sky. No matter how beautiful the stars. No matter how deep the dream of flight. We are creatures of the earth. Born with...

India, she now knew, would not be content staying in the background, was nobody’s wallpaper, insisted in interjecting itself into everyone’s life, meddling with it, twisting it, molding it beyond recognition. India, she had found...

And a mother without children is not a mother at all, and if I am not a mother, than I am nothing. Nothing. I am like sugar dissolved in a glass of water. Or, I...

None of it made any sense to her – the deceit, the betrayal, the sheer chutzpah of it. Like something from a movie. Who in real life acted this way? But then she remembered this...

Why worry, if today be sweet’?

This solidarity business I used to talk about ain’t just–what do you youngsters call it?–theoretical. It means putting your body, your physical self, on the line, baby girl. Even when–especially when–it ain’t convenient.

but her mind feels feverish as it races through the crowded hallways of the past

Tomorrow. The word hangs in the air for a moment, both a promise and a threat. Then it floats away like a paper boat, taken from her by the water licking at her ankles.

Life happened. In all its banality, brutality, cruelty, unfairness. But also in its beauty, pleasures and delights. Life happened.

Ma wrong about one thing. When I was girl, she only talk about love in the marriage. […] Nobody tell me what make real marriage–respect.

Or perhaps is is that time doesn’t heal wounds at all, perhaps that is the biggest lie of them all, and instead what happens is that each wound penetrates the body deeper and deeper until...

First time since I come to Am’rica, I not with husband or Rekha or in restaurant or store or car or apartment. I’s all alone and I loves it. First time I feel everything not...

This is love–not what we say to each other but what we not say. Sometime it just one look exchange. Sometime one word. But underlining everything we say or not say, something else. Something heavy...

You felt a deep sorrow, the kind of melancholy you feel when you’re in a beautiful place and the sun is going down

It was strange how she found out, One moment she didn’t know; the next minute she did. One moment her mind was as blank as the desert; the next minute the snake of suspicion had...

Until she went with him to India the first time after they were married. Then it all made sense, and she realized that the hospitality he displayed to all guests was larger than he was...

And so I have to live. Because we live for more than just ourselves, Most of the time we live for others, keep putting one foot before the other, left and right, left and right,...

Everything that he was saying sounded incredible, but Frank knew enough about politics to know that governments got away with what they did because they counted on ordinary citizens dismissing events as being too incredible...