Pretjoni by Tilottama Majumdar [Hardcover]

"At the age of fourteen, Nipa eloped with her lover. Beautiful Nipa dreamt of a colorful life like that of a film heroine. But her lover brought her home as his wife into a medieval family where the housewives were treated like sexual slaves. Before she turned fifteen, Nipa became a mother. Her mother-in-law wanted a son. She bore a son. Nipa only had the right to breastfeed. One evening, she left her son behind and escaped to the safe haven of her parents. Nipa became free. But life began to chase her with its own demands. It was rare for someone in society to marry a woman with a child. Nipa became restless. Although she noticed the secret love between her elder sister Nita and Ranjan, she claimed Ranjan, who was almost twice her age, for herself. Ranjan was a freedom fighter and a social worker. Nipa did not remain happy in this life for long either. Attracted to the colorful life, she moved to America against Ranjan’s wishes. There began a hard struggle. In her desperate attempt to establish herself in America's abundance, Nipa began to see Ranjan, who was unsuitable for American culture, as a burden. She fell in love with Kallol, almost her son's age. Nipa's dream came true. Kallol was established, a lover, and young. She married Kallol. Nipa became pregnant again with Kallol’s child. Her and Ranjan's daughter Nina was now about fourteen. Accustomed to American life, one morning Nina announced that she was going to be a mother, and hearing the likely name of her child's father, Nipa, thunderstruck, fled once again from her desired life. Pretyoni is a novel that narrates an intense and unsettling story of perpetual dissatisfaction."