Sister of My Heart: Summary and book reviews of Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, plus links to an excerpt from Sister of My Heart and a biography of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

Anju is the daughter of an upper-caste Calcutta family of distinction. Sudha is the daughter of the black sheep of that same family. Sudha is startlingly beautiful; Anju is not. Despite these differences, since the day the two girls were born--the same day their fathers died, mysteriously and violently--Sudha and Anju have been sisters of the heart. Bonded in ways even their mothers cannot comprehend, the two girls grow into womanhood as if their fates, as well as their hearts, are merged. When Sudha learns a dark family secret, that connection is threatened. For the first time in their lives, the girls know what it is to feel suspicion and distrust--Sudha, because she feels a new shame that she cannot share with Anju; and Anju, because she discovers the seductive power of her sister's beauty, a power Sudha herself is incapable of controlling. When, due to a change in family fortune, the girls are urged into arranged marriages, their lives take opposite turns. One travels to America, and one remains in India; both have lives of secrets. When tragedy strikes both of them, however, they discover that, despite distance and marriage, they must turn to each other once again. Exceptionally moving, dramatic, and exquisitely rendered, Sister of My Heart is a passionate novel about the extraordinary bond between two women, and the jealousies, loves, and family histories that threaten to tear them apart. Only a novelist of Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's sensitivity could create a tale as potent as it is poignant, and as true to the complexities of the human heart.

Media Reviews

Wall Street Journal Ms. Divakaruni emphasizes the cathartic force of storytelling with sumptuous prose...she defies categorization, beautifully blending the chills of reality with rich imaginings.   Publishers Weekly Mesmerizing...a masterful allegory of unfulfilled desire and sacrificial love. Rosellen Brown What an irresistibly absorbing immersion in the pleasure and anguish of growing up passionate in a world of duty, where each comfort is hedged with a constraint and love unsettles every plan. Sister of My Heart may be alive with exotic detail but its emotions are very recognizable. Amitav Ghosh Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni's account of family life in Bengal is warm and richly detailed. Hers is one of the most strikingly lyrical voices writing about the lives of Indian women today.

Recent Reader Reviews

Rated of 5 by durai selvi
lovely
It is the book of love and care between two sisters. I amazed by reading. thank you chitra sister. Write like this to enlighten the society

Rated of 5 by radbad35
This book was amazing....I was wondering if anyone had a character list if the book. Read it! The first two charcters are the book are confusing with many charcters being introduced but read on. It's exciting!

Rated of 5 by Anonymous
I loved this book and am recommending it as summer reading for my reading group. It is beautifully written and a very compelling story.

Rated of 5 by J. Tatsch
Seeing the events through the eyes of Sudha and Anju in alternating chapters makes an interesting read. All the details of a family life in Calcutta, especially the expectations of the extended family are fascinating and incorporated naturally...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Anonymous
Hi All

So here's my effort on why I think Sister of My Heart is such an excellent book.

It crosses the barriers between love and culture; how sacrifice is neither good nor bad.

The novel allows me as a person, between two quite...   Read More

Rated of 5 by Mary Michael
Excellent book. Everyone in my book club enjoyed. The insight into the Indian culture is fascinating. A book that appeals to 12 different people is truly amazing. A delightful read. I have already started the sequel, VINE OF DESIRE, because I...   Read More

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