Once again, they all stood together with only the gate that still separated them from each other. Shubhojit stood outside his own home and Yashodhra and Neelakshi stood inside, eager to welcome him back.
The Nest of the Recluse is an engaging tale of five characters who find themselves embroiled in complex relationships that makes them break away from the routine and seek refuge in art, culture, spiritualism, travel and explore different ways of living life. Each character has their own learning at the end of the tunnel. Shubhojit is ensconced in his hut, learning about his roots and exploring a rural way of life. But does that provide the answer he is looking for? Yashodhra, his estranged wife, finds her solace in travelling while on the verge of taking another drastic decision that will change her life forever. Then there is Manidhar, the man who had created a ripple in their lives, as well as Shubhojit and Yashodhra’s children, Neelakshi and Hemant who are trying with their own lives.
The result is a brilliant examination of relationships, ideology and history and their effect on individual lives. With dazzling energy and insight, Suchita Malik immerses us in the tumultuous lives of her characters in their desperate attempts to find what makes life meaningful or even happy.
SUCHITA MALIK made her debut as a writer with the iconic, Indian Memsahib—The Untold Story of a Bureaucrat’s Wife in 2008 and followed it up with the sequel Memsahib’s Chronicles: A Story of Grit & Glamour, almost two years later. Her third novel, Women Extraordinaire spanned a century and revolved around three generations of women in the backdrop of India’s partition, where she tried to define the gap between the ordinary and the extraordinary. Scent of the Soil, her fourth novel, delves deep into the stereotype of the soulless bureaucracy and the importance of making choices in life and going back to one’s roots.
The Nest of the Recluse is her fifth book where she tries to bridge the gap between fact and fiction. An alumnus of Lady Shri Ram College for Women, University of Delhi, she has been a keen academic and a travel buff and has taught English literature for more than three decades. She also has to her credit a number of Middles and feature articles and travelogues published in the national newspapers.
She can be reached at dr.suchitamalik@gmail.com.
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