The Magnificent Ruins

When Lila returns to India from the United States after inheriting an ancestral home, she must confront a culture that has always been a part of her, her mother from whom she has been estranged for a decade, and her family (grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins) who all still live in the house. These family members resent her sudden inheritance of this humongous home, a stunning display of the status and culture of the zamindars, India's ruling class that was so firmly shaped by British colonial rule. Beyond that, her first love, the now-married Adil, seeks her out when she arrives back in Calcutta, and Seth, her star author and sometimes lover, decides to surprise her by showing up in India as well. As Lila navigates both affairs and her family's deep mistrust, a legacy of violence in the family can no longer be ignored. In the aftermath of her cousin Biddy's wedding, an uncle is dead, and her grandmother unwillingly reveals her own secrets. With a lawsuit against Lila gathering steam and a police investigation triggered, Lila must finally reckon with her inherited custom of sweeping everything under the rug to preserve appearances. With an unforgettable house at its heart, a violent past erupting into the present, a problematic romance, and a compelling and conflicted heroine, this novel is an utterly addictive read.