1–What is the title of your latest release? INDEPENDENCE 2–What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book? Set during the partition of British India in 1947, a time when neighbor was pitted against neighbor and families were torn apart, Chitra Divakaruni’s novel brings to life the sweeping story of three sisters caught up in events beyond their control, and their unbreakable bond as they struggle against powerful odds. 3–How did you decide where your book was going to take place? Since it was about India’s independence, I already knew the country. I come from the Eastern border, and not much has been written in English about the Partition struggles in that region, so I knew I wanted to explore that. One of the sisters, Priya, is set on being a doctor, and since it is almost impossible for Indian women at that time to get into medical colleges, I knew she would be coming to America. I researched and discovered Woman’s Medical College of Pennsylvania—it was the perfect fit. 4–Would you hang out with your protagonist in real life? The three sisters are a lively, intelligent lot with strong opinions. Two of them are excellent singers, and one has read…

Hi! I’m Chitra Divakaruni, author of INDEPENDENCE. I’m very pleased to be sharing a little about this novel with you. The book is at once a historical novel and a love story. It depicts India’s epic struggle for freedom from the British yoke, and the turmoil that follows Partition, as experienced by three sisters. Set in 1946-48, it is the story of three sisters who want very different things in life but find that all their plans are turned upside-down in the wake of a huge tragedy. As the novel proceeds, the three women will fall in love with the wrong men, get caught up in events beyond their control, and be separated from each other even as the country is being torn apart by violent religion-based feuds between Hindus and Muslims. They must do their best to come back together, face the dangers that confront them, and try to save each other.   I is for India, the setting of my novel, a country that after a great struggle is now on the verge of freedom in 1946, when the book begins. N is for Nabakumar, who is the idealistic father of the three sisters, a doctor who was a…