With: Sonali Dev
Giveaway Alert!
There’s just something about
knowing someone as a child. Childhood friendships that last into adulthood are
a special kind of bond. My favorite stories are the ones where I get glimpses
into the childhoods of adult characters. For me, it instantly connects me with
the character and gives them context and makes them real people, which in turn
make them memorable.
A Distant Heart explores my love
for the childhood bond. The book is set in two timelines, where we get to grow
up with Kimi and Rahul in the past while also facing their considerable
challenges in the present. Kimi, at the
age of eleven is confined to a sterile room in her mansion in Mumbai for twelve
years because of a rare illness, and Rahul is a servant in her house because he
needs to pay off a debt to her father. He ends up befriending her and becoming
her eyes to the outside world for twelve years until a heart transplant sets
her free.
To me Rahul and Kimi have a
connection that feels essential to who they are, because it’s a connection that
has developed during the harshest time in their lives. But the only reason they
get a chance to make that connection in the first place, and get exposed to
each other as who they are on the inside despite all the socially constructed
distance that separates them, is that they were children when they first met.
When we’re children the barriers between us as people aren’t solidified. It’s a
more vulnerable time, a time when we haven’t yet stopped looking at each other
because we can’t look past who we’re supposed to be. It’s a braver time.
It’s because they meet as
children that a connection so deep happens between Rahul and Kimi. And its a
really good thing that their connection is that deep and strong because it’s going to be tested hard once they grow up. No
matter how much they learn to cover up and protect themselves from hurt and
fear of loss, what gets them through the conditions that test them is their
connection and vulnerability not the armor they’ve tried to develop as adults.
Another thing about Rahul and
Kimi’s story that I love is that they both have to deal with having no control
over their circumstances but the way each of them deals with this is entirely
different. From a very young age, Rahul has agency in ways that Kimi doesn’t.
This is a two sided coin. His having agency comes with weighty
responsibilities. The way he deals with the weight he carries is through
self-denial, because he believes he can only deal with pain by avoiding it
entirely. He believes that he doesn’t have the luxury to indulge in things that
will cause pain, so he makes them unavailable to himself. Love is one of those
things.
Through all of this Kimi sees
the person he is on the inside, she sees past his experiences and past all the
adult weight he has to carry as a child and it helps him find his own lost
childhood. And it’s all the more powerful because she’s carrying the weight of
unusual responsibilities and restrictions as well. They’re aware of the work
the other has to do, but they aren’t focused on that like everyone else around
them. The first time he sees her he says it was like “unexpectedly spotting
your reflection while passing a window.”
I think that sums up their relationship perfectly and it’s what I think
every relationship is trying to achieve.
A DISTANT HEART

Infused with the rhythms of life in modern-day India,
acclaimed author Sonali Dev’s candid, rewarding novel beautifully evokes all
the complexities of the human heart in A DISTANT HEART.
Her name means “miracle” in Sanskrit, and to her parents, that’s exactly
what Kimaya is. The first baby to survive after several miscarriages, Kimi
grows up in a mansion at the top of Mumbai’s Pali Hill, surrounded by love and
privilege. But at eleven years old, she develops a rare illness that requires
her to be confined to a germ-free ivory tower in her home, with only the
Arabian Sea churning outside her window for company. . . . Until one person
dares venture into her world.
Tasked at fourteen years old with supporting his family, Rahul Savant
shows up to wash Kimi’s windows, and an unlikely friendship develops across the
plastic curtain of her isolation room. As years pass, Rahul becomes Kimi’s eyes
to the outside world–and she becomes his inspiration to better himself by
enrolling in the police force. But when a life-saving heart transplant offers
the chance of a real future, both must face all that ties them together and
keeps them apart.
As Kimi anticipates a new life, Rahul struggles with loving someone he
may yet lose. And when his investigation into an organ black market ring run by
a sociopathic gang lord exposes dangerous secrets that cut too close to home,
only Rahul’s deep, abiding connection with Kimi can keep her safe–and reveal
the true meaning of courage, loss, and second chances.
Infused with the rhythms of life in modern-day India, acclaimed author
Sonali Dev’s candid, rewarding novel beautifully evokes all the complexities of
the human heart.
Available at:
Amazon, B&N, iBooks, Kobo, BAM, IndieBound, Walmart, Hudson
Bookseller
Praise for A DISTANT HEART
“Searingly
asks its characters what they’re willing to do for the people they love…
explores family dynamics, class issues, and many layers of guilt, hope, and
determination in ways that are both distinctly Indian and universally luminous.
Another beautiful, breathtaking novel from a not-to-be-missed author.”— Kirkus, STARRED
Review
“Dev crafts another thrilling story filled
with intense drama, deep emotion, and well-developed characters; a
can’t-put-down book.”—Library Journal, STARRED Review
“Thrilling action sequences
and a complex, weighty romance propel this smart, sensitive story. A natural
wordsmith, Dev dives into the psyches of disparate characters with voice-driven
prose that includes both chilling insights and quirky humor… This poignant,
sensual, and exciting tale captures a range of emotions and conflicts.”—Booklist, STARRED Review
“Award-winning Dev returns with
another of her emotionally resonating stories that explore, in depth, the
intersection of friendship, love, sacrifice and desperation… There is a
tremendous richness to this story… A truly captivating tale of friendship and
love. Dev always delivers!”—RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars, TOP PICK!
About Sonali
Dev
Sonali Dev’s
first literary work was a play about mistaken identities performed at her
neighborhood Diwali extravaganza in Mumbai. She was eight years old. Despite
this early success, Sonali spent the next few decades getting degrees in
architecture and writing, migrating across the globe, and starting a family
while writing for magazines and websites. With the advent of her first gray
hair her mad love for telling stories returned full force, and she now combines
it with her insights into Indian culture to conjure up stories that make a mad
tangle with her life as supermom, domestic goddess, and world traveler.
Sonali lives
in the Chicago suburbs with her very patient and often amused husband and two
teens who demand both patience and humor, and the world’s most perfect dog.
Sonali’s
novels have been on Library Journal,
NPR, Washington Post, and Kirkus’s lists
of Best Books of the
year. She won the American Library
Association’s award for best romance 2014, and is a RITA® finalist, RT Reviewer Choice Award Nominee, and winner of the
RT Seal of Excellence. She was
hailed by NPR.org as a ‘stunning debut’.
Giveaway:
Sonali will be giving away an ebook copy of A CHANGE OF HEART to one lucky reader leaving a comment or email entry.
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Jan 10th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.
Giveaway ends 11:59pm EST Jan 10th. Please supply your email in the post. You may use spaces or full text for security. (ex. jsmith at gmail dot com) If you do not wish to supply your email, or have trouble posting, please email maureen@JustContemporaryRomance.com with a subject title of JCR GIVEAWAY to be entered in the current giveaway.
I am intrigued by the story line. I would be interested in reading this book.
ReplyDeletereading A Distant Heart right now actually and really intrigued by it so far!
ReplyDeletelooks interesting
ReplyDeletebn100candg at hotmail dot com
Sounds good
ReplyDeleteamie_07(at)yahoo(dot)com