The Day In Shadow — Nayantara Sahgal

This is the story of Simrit, lost and bewildered as she copes with the emotional shock of a divorce plus a brutal divorce settlement inflicted on her. She struggles to build a new life for herself and her children, though her mind and heart are imprisoned by the past. She turns for help to Raj, a brilliant rising member of Parliament.

The setting for their relationship is Delhi, with its panoply of political ambition and intrigue symbolized by Sumer Singh, the power-hungry minister gambling for big stakes.

The Day in Shadow can be read at several levels. It is about Simrit, who emerges from the shadows to find a new life with Raj. It is the story of Raj, a Christian, who passionately believes in freedom and refuses to accept fate as the answer to human problems. It is the story of Delhi on the threshold of unseen changes, and a new breed of politicians far removed from the compassion of Gandhi.

At every level it charms and delights, is thought provoking and subtle--a memorable novel from a writer known for her complex understanding of human emotions.