Luke & Lara

When twelve-year-old Luke pulls Lara from the depths of a swimming pool, their bond is forged in water and fate. Growing up in the vibrant, chaotic heart of 1980s Delhi, the half-American, half-English boy and the shy, bookish Indian girl become inseparable—two outsiders navigating family expectations, cultural divides, and the fragile line between devotion and desire.

As the years unfold, their connection is tested by unspoken truths. Lara’s love for Luke deepens into something she cannot name, while Luke wrestles with a secret that could shatter everything they share.

Spanning four decades and three continents, Luke & Lara is a poignant meditation on friendship, identity, and the ache of loving someone you can never fully have. In the spaces between longing and acceptance, can two hearts find their way home to one another—even when the truth threatens to tear them apart?

From Poornima Manco, author of A Quiet Dissonance, comes a lyrical and emotionally resonant novel about the ties that shape us—part of The Friendship Collection.