The independence of India with its cursed partition lies at the background of the novel. The book is a family story of Sushila, a forced migrant from erstwhile East Pakistan. The shocking declaration of partition at once made them alien to their motherland. The eight-membered family, forced by circumstances to leave behind rich property, set out for India penniless. Sushila's father-in-law died on the way. That stunning blow brought her back to her past life under the guidance of her father-in-law, whose tremendous personality she tried to present, reminiscing past incidents. The contemporary...