Sutra Americana

Monona Wali is an award-winning novelist, short story writer, and filmmaker. Her debut novel, My Blue Skin Lover, won the Independent Book Publishers Gold award for multicultural fiction. Born in Benares, India, she moved to Madison, Wisconsin, as a child and now lives in Los Angeles, California.

"Incredibly written. . . . A beautiful case study in identity. . . . [This] deeply personal read is emotionally resonant. . . . Its questions about belonging, forgiveness, and the desire to be understood are universal." - (Third Coast Review)"A sweeping tale about the lifelong negotiations between worlds. Immersive. Readable. The love in this luminous family saga is fierce and tested through the competing forces of devotion and reinvention." - Weike Wang, author of Rental House"Authentic Indian American family stories span almost five decades, featuring a philandering astrophysicist, a feminist philosopher, and their three spirited American daughters. The characters are honest, gentle, at times brutal, and always affectionate, with biting wit and profound humility. Wali's superb novel took my breath away." - Yang Huang, author of My Good Son "A grand literary achievement. This big, multigenerational, many-charactered story illuminates the myriad ways in which South Asian immigrants have made a home in the United States. It invites us to reflect on how we love and hate and, finally, if we are very lucky, how we forgive those we spend a lifetime with. I loved this book and these characters." - Nayomi Munaweera, author of What Lies Between Us"An immigrant saga of uncommon depth and poignancy. Wali brings all five members of the Sharma family to vivid life on the page, tracing their individual arcs and telling a larger story about love and identity and forgiveness. This is a book that will linger in your mind long after you turn the last page." - Tom Perrotta, author of Ghost Town"This wonderful novel is about the great rewards and costs of becoming American. Its five family members, originally from India, are beautifully characterized, and Monona Wali keeps you guessing about who will manage to live contentedly in this culture, and how they'll do it, in a book that's fascinating and richly imagined." - Charles Baxter, author of The Sun Collective"A cinematic and intimate novel that lodged in my brain like indelible memories. The formidable Sharma parents and their daughters are rendered in prose that is luminous and sharp like cut glass. I was deeply moved by the tenderness with which Wali chronicles their love despite a lifetime of betrayals." - Shuchi Talati, writer and director, Girls Will Be Girls