When her marriage proves a disappointment, Meera turns for consolation to their son, Ashvin, for whom she develops an obsessive attachment.
To depict the tumult that India experienced in the middle decades of the 20th century, Suri drew, in part, on his mother's brief employment with Indira Gandhi.
"In 1951, Indira was the prime minister's daughter," Manil Suri says. "My mother wrote her a letter saying she was a refugee and was looking for work. The next day, she was offered a job as Indira's personal secretary, and she kept that job for six months. We still have the letter that Indira wrote to my mom."
So, it's not surprising that Suri, 48, dedicated this novel to his mother, though he cautions readers not to make the blunder of assuming that the novel is an autobiography.
"I deliberately made Meera different from my mother, so people wouldn't think I was writing about her," he says.
The Age of Shiva, which was published in February, instantly became a No. 1 best-seller in India and received enthusiastic reviews in this country. The New York Times called the novel "sweepingly ambitious" and "captivating," while The New Yorker described it as "a sensuous, nuanced portrait of motherhood."
Promotional efforts will continue through the fall, when Suri will be a featured guest at a benefit for the Enoch Pratt Public Library. He'll also participate in the annual New Yorker Festival, and in the South Asian Literary and Theater Arts Festival at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.
"Somewhere in all of this, I'll be teaching math full time, too," he says.
Given the breadth and variety of Suri's interests - he is a gourmet cook, specializing in Vietnamese cuisine, and a huge fan of Sex and the City (favorite character: Samantha) - it's not surprising that his surroundings are similarly an eclectic jumble of periods and cultures. In the living room of the home that Suri shares with his partner of 18 years, a Victorian love seat is grouped with a mid-century modern sofa done up in a lemon plush. Outside, in the luxuriant, landscaped garden, sits a tandoori oven.
But, it all fits. Nothing seems out of place. It's only when you focus on individual pieces that you become aware of what an unusual collection it is.
So enchanting was the child that Parvati created, so perfect for her needs, that she soon forgot all about Shiva. She frolicked through the days in her son's company.
