Set on the streets of Edison, New Jersey's Little India, The Sari Shop Widow is the story of one young businesswoman who rediscovers the magic of love, family, and tradition as she fights to save her failing sari boutique.
A compelling new novel by Shobhan Bantwal, The Sari Shop Widow offers a rare glimpse into the world of the Indian-American fashion industry and the immigrant experience.
"Dazzles you with a taste of Desi culture in America." -- NYT bestselling author, Caridad Pineiro.
“Delightful through and through! THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is awonderful, wonderful work of fiction that will add a new perspective and inner joy to a reader's heart.” --- Book Illuminations
“I found (THE SARI SHOP WIDOW) to be extremely fascinating… Shobhan Bantwal's writing style is smoother than Chai tea and her story is just as refreshing!” ---Huntress Reviews
Excerpt
Chapter 1
For the second time in ten years her life was beginning to come apart. Anjali Kapadia stood still for a minute, trying to absorb the news. Could it possibly be a mistake? But it wasn’t; she’d heard it clearly. Despite her best efforts to curb it, the initial shock wave refused to ebb.
The seemingly harmless bit of information was all it had taken to shatter the image of a satisfying lifestyle and career.
Her mind in overdrive, she started to pace the length of the tasteful and elegant boutique. Her boutique—her baby—her artistic and inventive skills put to optimum use in creating a fairytale store worthy of movie stars, models, and beauty queens.
Technically the business belonged to her and her parents as equal partners, but it was Anjali’s creativity and vision that had turned it into a classy and successful enterprise—at least until recently. It stood apart like a maharani, a queen amongst the ordinary, plain-vanilla sari and clothing shops of New Jersey’s “Little India.”
The area known as Little India, located in Edison, was crammed with sari shops, jewelry stores, restaurants, grocery markets and souvenir shops. It was a small slice of India buried in central New Jersey, a quaint neighborhood that smelled of pungent curry, fried onions, ripe mangoes, incense, and masala chai. Strong tea laced with spices and oodles of thick, creamy milk.
Even the store’s name was Anjali’s brainstorm. Overrun with ho-hum and even dumpy names and ugly storefronts, Little India was badly in need of some class. So she’d called her store Silk & Sapphires. It had a nice ring to it, and according to Hindu astrology, a sapphire supposedly dispelled the destructive influence of the fiery planet Shanee. Saturn. The store’s window displayed the most elegant mannequins and rare jewelry to give it a boutique flavor rather than just a sari-cum-bauble shop.
The interior was done in soft cream and shimmering blue to fit the name. Tear-drop crystal chandeliers hung from a vaulted ceiling. Strategically placed recessed lights highlighted the displays, mirrored walls created the illusion of space and light, and dense cream carpeting covered the sales floor and fitting rooms.
Shopping at Silk & Sapphires was meant to be a unique and indulgent experience.
The boutique also carried jewelry—one-of-a-kind creations of precious and semi precious gems fit for an empress or a blushing bride.
Nearly every piece of clothing the store sold was designed by Anjali, each outfit envisioned, then meticulously planned, cut, sewn, and embellished to her demanding specifications. She took pride in finding the right fabrics, trimmings, and tailors to make her designs evolve from an idea swirling in her brain to divine ensembles. Granted, her clothes and accessories were far more expensive than some, but they were worth the money. Every design was exclusive. Many of them were award winners in fashion shows and competitions.
She glanced at them and exhaled a long sigh. The colorful silks, the clingy chiffons, and the gossamer tissue-crepes were draped in an exquisite array on their pretty satin hangers—row upon row of lush, costly clothes. The pearls, the rainbow of beads, and the jewel-tone sequins lovingly sewn into the borders, sleeves, necklines, and bodices of the sleek garments sparkled and winked at her as she strode up and down the aisles, again and again.
What had gone wrong? How? When?
Could she be kissing her dress design business and her beloved store goodbye? If so, how soon? Catching her reflection in the mirrored wall behind the row of clothes, she realized her eyes were filled with resentment and frustration. Darn it! She rarely let bitterness prevail over her, and she wouldn’t do so now. She was a woman who liked to laugh, although there hadn’t been much to laugh about in the last decade—not since she’d cremated Vikram.
How could her parents have concealed such a significant problem from her for so long? And how could they even dream up something so preposterous to address the problem? How could they jeopardize her career as well as theirs with one phone call?
She wouldn’t stand for it! She couldn’t.
Professional Reviews
Book Illuminations
Delightful through and through!
Anjali Kapadia runs her parent's sari shop in New Jersey's Little India. Her ambition, exquisite taste and eye for beauty has turned the family shop into a chic boutique. When economic pressures force the family to turn to their wealthy uncle Jeevan, Anjali never expected her uncle to arrive on their doorstep all the way from India! The sari shop gives Anjali, now widowed. the joy of life and sense of accomplishment. How can she possibly turn over control of something so special to her into the hands of an uncle whose troublesome reputation precedes him? To make matters worse, Jeevan arrives with a business partner, a Londoner Rishi Shah. Irritated that these men are watching and judging her every move, Anjali tries to prove her self while keeping her own vision of the shop. Wildly attracted to him on the one hand, and on the other, resentful of him overseeing every nuance of her business, Anjali feels torn within. Once she swore off love, but will Rishi find a way to break through her defenses and show her a world she never imagined, a world bigger than the dreams she ever thought possible?
Shobhan Bantwal's THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is a delightful book through and through! Anjali is bright, independent and yet she has a side of her that is quiet, thoughtful and a little scared to live life to its fullest. Torn between the traditions of her family and her own desire for independence and contemporary values, Anjali is a woman with depth of spirit and an appreciation for others as she discovers how to incorporate the heritage and values of the Desi culture with her innermost desires. Rishi is a wonderful character that will steal the reader's heart alongside Anjali's. Quiet and thoughtful, he is a man with an inner strength. Although known for his power in the business world, he has a strength of character inside far beyond his boldness in the plans for the sari shop. Rishi has a steadfastness and a consistant non-presupposing strength of character that makes him grow on one naturally and more deeply as the story develops. Rishi's appreciation and knowledge of the sari shop fits in perfectly and flows naturally from the setting and characterization.
THE SARI SHOP WIDOW touched me deeply. I carried this book with me everywhere, reading it waiting in the car and any spare moment. I haven't done this in ages but I just found myself wanting to return to the characters and the story. Every night, I looked forward to being able to return to the world of the characters. The older characters (in their 30s and 40s) were most refreshing. Anjali has the maturity of a woman who has experienced love and life before, and yet she still has a kind of vulnerability with which readers of all ages will find themselves easily identifying. Despite our different cultural backgrounds, I related so well to Anjali, understanding her and her dilemmas, hopes and fears. Shobhan Bantwal did an excellent job of portraying the particular Desi culture but also creating characters with a sense of universality so that readers outside of the Desi culture feel something in common with her characters. Shobhan Bantwal does an excellent job in creating a setting which draws the reader into the story and her characters. The richness of the colors and textures within the sari shop brings a vibrancy to the novel. THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is a must read for those passionate about Desi culture and neophytes alike.
In THE SARI SHOP WIDOW, Anjali's family and their relationships are a dynamic part of the story itself throughout. Each and every character adds a rich depth to this story. The romance reaches beyond the hero/heroine focus to influence others. Jeevan and Rishi's arrival turns everything on its head as Anjali's family scrambles to accomodate the visitors, but by the story's end, every character's life is enriched and transformed. THE SARI SHOP WIDOW is a wonderful, wonderful work of fiction that will add a new perspective and inner joy to a reader's heart.
Huntress Reviews
Anjali Kapadia is an Indian-American widow. Though she still dreams of someday marrying and having kids, those dreams are beginning to fade. In her ten years of widowhood, Anjali simply has not found someone she could fall in love with. Now nearing the age of forty, she has all but given up hope. Otherwise, Anjali feels fulfilled. She and her parents are in business together. They own a small upscale boutique in Little India (New Jersey) called Silk & Sapphires. Anjali is very artistic, very creative, and has designed the clothing in the shop. Her parents, though, have kept one thing quiet from Anjali. The shop is in the red. Unless they can turn things around quickly, they will lose the boutique.
Drastic measures have already been put into place. Anjali's father has requested help from his rich older brother, Jeevan. It has been five years since Anjali's uncle last visited from India. He may be a smart businessman, but his commanding ways, crazy demands, and overbearing character is too much for her or her mother to deal with. It becomes harder when Jeevan appears with enough luggage to show he plans a long stay. Jeevan also brought along, unannounced, his business partner from London, Rishi Shah. The handsome Brit specializes in saving failing businesses. Rishi and Jeevan have big plans to save the boutique. Part of that is buying fifty-one percent of Silk & Sapphires.
Can Anjali's uncle and the Londoner save her beloved shop? If so, will it no longer belong to her? And can Anjali and Rishi take a leap of faith with their hearts?
***** 4.5 STARS! This story is very rich in Desi culture. I found it to be extremely fascinating. My synopsis does not include the honorable endings (titles) to names, such as Jeevan-kaka, but I learned about them without even realizing it. The writing is well done and it was easy for me, who knew absolutely nothing about Desi culture, to understand each person's concerns. I came to care for the Kapadia family as if they were close friends. Shobhan Bantwal's writing style is smoother than Chai tea and her story is just as refreshing!
Book Pleasures
Accomplished storyteller Shobhan Bantwal immediately grabs your attention and doesn't let go until the last word with her latest romantic novel, The Sari Shop Widow.
Bantwal has authored two previous novels with an Indian setting, both of which have tales woven around hot-button social issues. She decided to set The Sari Shop Widow in the United States in order to give her readers a glimpse into the lives of Indian Immigrants. Nonetheless, her deep interest in women’s issues resonates in this book as well.
Anjali Kappadia is The Sari Shop Widow. She lives with her family in Jackson Heights, New Jersey or as it is referred to as Little India. The characters are so vivid that you befriend the whole family and can’t wait to avidly read their charming story. You are even sorry that it ends.
Anjali, despite her westernization, is deeply rooted in her traditionalism. She knows how Gujarati widows lead a rough life in India, however, in the West her situation is not as precarious. She is a 37- year old widow who lost her husband to an aneurysm a few years ago. Her heart is still numb with pain as she returns to live with her parents and her brother. She throws herself into working at her parent's store, Silk & Saphires where she designs luxury saris and wedding attire for the Indian immigrants who are still holding on to their traditions. Her only relief is her secret white Protestant boyfriend, Kip Rowling.
Apparently, they are into deep financial trouble and Anjali’s stern uncle Jeevan is coming from India to “fix” things up to the dismay of Anjali and her mom Usha.
Jeevan is an autocratic man with an agenda of his own. His entry into the lives of the Kappadias apparently disrupts their daily lives, until they discover his secret and his true self. Jeevan brings with him his friend and business partner, Rishi Shah, a reluctant and unwelcome third party who will fix their financial woes by transforming Silk & Sapphires into a bigger modern store.
We can guess from his good looks that Anjali is going to fall in love with him. But, first, he has to gain her trust, and that is something she is not ready to give, especially that she knows that he had a girl friend, Samantha, in England.
Will they get together Indian style with the approval of her family? Will Samantha be out of the picture?
Bantwal’s writing is fluid; there is a lively chatter throughout the novel. The story permeates with the smells and tastes of Gujarati cooking. Her descriptions of saris and salwar kameez and Indian fashion generally are tactile and vivid. We can readily see the beautiful silks and jewelery. We really feel that we are in Little India. Although, her sex scenes are a trifle genteel as if the author was embarrassed for fear of being too risqué, nonetheless they still were quite titillating.
The Sari Shop Widow is a highly entertaining and informative novel. Order your own copy soon!
