Veena Rao shares the inspiration behind her novel, Purple Lotus, the winner in the 2021 American Fiction Awards (multi-cultural category).

A tale of an immigrant who comes to Atlanta through marriage, the novel has been described as  a "dazzling tale of an Indian-American woman finding her way through the labyrinth of tradition to self-awareness in the modern world" (Elaine Neil Orr, author of Swimming Between Worlds).

Touching on issues of domestic abuse, shame, and balancing family and cultural obligations with choosing ourselves, Purple Lotus is a page-turning story that takes the reader from India to the US and back. It was selected as one of Travel + Leisure’s "20 Most-anticipated Books for Fall" and Veena was selected as a finalist in the Georgia Author of the Year award and the International Book Awards. 

All books featured on the podcast are listed in The Best of Women's Fiction List at www.bookshop.org and amazon.com

Lainey's author website: www.LaineyCameron.com