The Web of Silk and Gold

Aradhana’s wealthy and protective parents bring her up to be obedient to the demands of tradition, and when she is eighteen, arrange her marriage to the rich and eligible Divakar. Transported from the warmth of her native Madurai to the hill town of Darjeeling, Aradhana finds herself trapped in an environment of violence and isolation which her abusive husband creates. The terror and humiliation all but destroy her sense of self till two events occur to transform her life: the first is the advent of Mark, sensitive and loving, unlike all the men she has hitherto met, who brings unexpected love into her life; the second is her unwanted but miraculous pregnancy, which occurs despite the fact that her marriage is unconsummated. Together, these two events jolt Aradhana into reshaping her life. Determined to save her daughter from the kind of life she has had and to find some happiness for herself, Aradhana flees to Chennai to seek a divorce. But this quest for individual fulfillment turns out to be a complex and tortuous process where diverse forces of the law, politics and crime come into play, drawing her into a horrifying world of corruption, rape and murder. Written with insight, honesty and great sensitivity. The Web of Silk and Gold is a deeply absorbing and inspiring first novel about a young woman’s awakening to a sense of her own self, and her heart-rending journey from innocence to maturity and strength.