Listening Now by Anjana Appachana

The events of Anjana Appachana's 2023 novel, Fear and Lovely, are preceded by the story of Listening Now. Mallika, a gifted weaver, believes that the lives of the women around her are mundane and lacking in passion, and she daydreams about romantic love. However, the truth at the core of this tale is far from her innocent perceptions. Mallika's mother, Padma, her aunt Shanta, her mother's friends Madhu and Anu, and her grandmother Rukmini all harbor painful secrets, and their complicated lives and desires are too complex for young Mallika to understand. Set in a small neighborhood in New Delhi during the 1950s and 1960s, this story chronicles the experiences of two generations of women, who are forced to conform to society's expectations while struggling with buried secrets that threaten to unravel everything. Narrated from six different points of view, Listening Now captures the voices of these women - both