Madras on Rainy Days: A Novel

Layla is torn among clashing identities—dutiful Muslim daughter and free, independent American woman. When she is nineteen, her parents inform Layla that a marriage has been arranged for her to an Indian man she doesn't know. A stunned Layla submits reluctantly but not before she commits a dangerous, final act of defiance. In the heat and noise of Hyderabad, as her wedding looms, her behavior becomes more and more erratic. Her mother, fearing demonic possession, takes Layla to a Muslim faith-healer, an alim, hoping to exorcise all traces of rebellion. To Layla's surprise, the ancient and elaborate wedding rituals, her groom's physical beauty, and the unexpectedly warm welcome of her new family fill her with a sense of belonging she has never known before. But her honeymoon in Madras soon reveals the full horror of the devil's bargain she has struck.

“In language that is at once lyrical and unsentimental, [Ali] explores both the upside and the downside of being a first-generation Muslim Indo-American woman, trapped between the demands of competing cultural heritages. This is a must read for anyone interested in understanding the multicultural fabric of contemporary America.” —Bharati Mukherjee, award-winning author of Jasmine

“Her story is intriguing not for its surprises . . . but because she is one of a rare breed of writers who take us into the closed world behind a Muslim woman’s veil.” —Mitali Saran, Far Eastern Economic Review