Chera Tar by Suchitra Bhattacharya [Hardcover]

Shubhamoy is a district court judge, idealistic and principled. After losing their only child, Munia, his marriage with his wife Riti has become cold and stagnant. They live in a government quarter in a small town, surrounded by servants, but Riti stays in a rented flat in Kolkata with her mother. To cope with the grief of losing their child, Riti finds solace in writing poetry and managing her boutique, Mayabini. She is also surrounded by a circle of friends - poets, reciters, writers, and artists - along with her admirer, the poet Somdatta.

In Riti’s eyes, Shubhamoy is an emotionless, righteous, and antisocial man. Yet, to arrange money for Riti’s new boutique, Shubhamoy has to reluctantly seek the help of a criminal lawyer, Chandrachur Chowdhury, which goes against his own will. The mental pressure and guilt from this leads Shubhamoy to seek solace with Tapasi, an abandoned woman seeking justice. A close physical relationship develops between them. Meanwhile, Riti, during an intimate moment with Somdatta, realizes that it is not Somdatta, but Shubhamoy who truly loves her deeply.

But what will happen in the end? Will Shubhamoy’s feelings of guilt be resolved by returning to Riti? Chera Tar, Suchitra Bhattacharya’s powerful novel, is shaped by the intricate emotional tension between these characters.