The Way Things Were

"A ravishing tale of modern India . . . Weighty material . . . is leavened with humor, humanity and passionate romance. A serious saga you can't put down." ―People, "The 12 Best New Books"

Skanda's father, Toby, has died, estranged from Toby's mother and from the India he loved. Skanda is tasked with fulfilling Toby's final wish and returning his ashes to his birthplace. It is a journey that takes him from Manhattan to Delhi, to a night three decades earlier, when an act of shocking violence forced his parents' fragile marriage apart.

Set at flashpoints in 1975, 1984, 1992 and the present day, The Way Things Were shows how our most deeply personal stories are shaped by ancient history and volatile politics; how the life of a country and the life of an individual are irrevocably entwined. Spanning three generations, it is at once intimate and panoramic.

"Ambitious, searching, sharply observed." ―Hanya Yanagihara, award-winning author of A Little Life

"A timeless, masterful epic." ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Rarely a page without something beautiful to behold." ―NPR Books

"Taseer's book is a cut above the rest." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Intensely engrossing." ―Financial Times

"Taseer's great gift is to locate the fault line—of both individuals and a nation—in the midst of epic upheavals." ―Vanity Fair

"[An] ambitious novel, in which Taseer seeks to reconcile the ancient mysteries of classical Vedic culture with the overcrowded, politico-religious minefield of modern India." ―Alfred Hickling, The Guardian

"The Way Things Were . . . shows [Taseer] to be both an accomplished novelist and commentator." ―The Spectator