The Closet Drinker

When Ragini Krishnan becomes pregnant for the second time, she thinks she’s finally going to give her husband the son they both desperately want.



But she gives birth to yet another unwanted female child, who she names Uma. “I should have strangled you when you were born,” she later tells her daughter.



Raised by a governess and Irish Catholic nuns in a private boarding school, Uma despises her privileged education, and she’s a dismal failure at relationships.



When Uma places an advertisement for a job, she’s offered a position by Nicholas Alexander, a divorced American writer. She goes to Bombay and meets him for a curry date.



Three years later, the rebellious Uma succumbs to her attraction to the dashing American and marries him. She bears him a son, but settling down doesn’t fix her problems—and she starts drinking secretly.



One day she takes her son and leaves, destroying everything she has so diligently worked for and successfully built. She becomes homeless and her son confronts her about her drinking problem.



Set against the backdrop of India’s national movement for independence, this is an unforgettable, inspirational story that shows love can conquer all.