The Awakening of Meena Rawat - by Anoop Judge (Paperback)

About the Book

A young woman in a loveless, abusive marriage comes face to face with her childhood sweetheart, only to discover that he is now a billionaire businessman.

Book Synopsis

"With its emotion-provoking plot and well-drawn characters, this novel will remain in your thoughts long after the last page is read." -Sublime Book Review

"While the romance between Meena and Ramu makes for an excellent way to pass a few evenings reading, what makes the book so interesting are the author's deep ties to her Indian culture." -Hollywood Book Reviews

Every day, twenty-eight-year-old Meena Rawat is hounded by inner voices reminding her to be grateful for the middle-class American life she has-even if she is stuck in an unhappy marriage. She and her daughter are both safe, clothed, and fed, more than she could say for herself as a child. Born into the "Untouchables" caste in a small village in North India, Meena frequently relives the nightmare of abuses and slurs she suffered in an orphanage. There is only one bright spot in her memories: the fellow 'Untouchable' orphan who became her best friend and first love, Ramu.

When Ramu reappears in her new American life, he's different. Unlike her, he has cast off the shame of their upbringing and become a confident entrepreneur. Their meeting rekindles a lost passion and the two find they share a mutual sense of obligation to help the children of the outcast community they left behind. Meena fantasizes about a future with him, but will her responsibility to her daughter-and the certainty that she would lose custody-keep her chained?

Review Quotes

"... an extraordinary, beautifully written story that follows one woman's life journey as it comes full circle." -Christy Cooper-Burnett, author of No Way Home

An excerpt from this novel was nominated for The Pushcart Prize in 2019

"... an intimate, romantic, and sometimes heartbreaking portrait of the struggle between what we want and what we must have." -Mat Johnson, author of Loving Day

"With its emotion-provoking plot and well-drawn characters, this novel will remain in your thoughts long after the last page is read." -Sublime Book Review

"While the romance between Meena and Ramu makes for an excellent way to pass a few evenings reading, what makes the book so interesting are the author's deep ties to her Indian culture." -Hollywood Book Reviews