Echoes in the Well

A man lies dying, tended by his two daughters. A strangely absent presence, their father has dictated the shape of their lives — sometimes distorting and at others shaping their hopes, ambitions and desires. To these two narrative strands, Belinder Dhanoa’s adds a third, that of the girls’ mother — a strong and single-minded woman, who defies society’s expectations of how a woman should behave. Set partly in Shillong, and partly in the Punjab, Belinder Dhanoa’s novel is not only an insightful study of the pressures of living in a patriarchal society, but also a moving account of the complexities of family loyalties, betrayals and love.