For Ganesh, Remover of Obstacles

What caused a mother to mysteriously escape a prearranged marriage, defying her duty to her parents? How did she become the first woman at Princeton? Why does she so guardedly conceal her impressive history? And is her daughter destined to follow in a mother's rebellious footsteps?

At once a celebration of mothers and daughters and a tribute to the unacknowledged helpers who smooth the paths of our lives, "Ganesh" spans decades, cultures and continents, traversing the rise of Gandhi in India through post-colonialist England into segregated 1950s America with uncommon wit and inordinate sensitivity.

A gorgeously wrought story that weaves magical realism into historical fiction, "Ganesh" explores the challenges faced by independent spirits breaking from the rigidities of tradition and eloquently evokes the role of the "unseen hand" in choreographing the dance of life.