Evening Is the Whole Day

Set in Malaysia, this spellbinding and already internationally acclaimed debut introduces us to the prosperous Rajasekharan family as its closely guarded secrets are slowly peeled away.

When Chellam, the familys rubber-plantation-bred servant girl, is dismissed for unnamed crimes, her banishment is the latest in a series of recent, precipitous losses that have shaken six-year-old Aashas life. A few short weeks before, Aashas grandmother Paati passed away under mysterious circumstances and her older sister, Uma, departed for Columbia University--leaving Aasha alone to cope with her mostly absent father, her bitter mother, and her imperturbable older brother.

Beginning with Aashas grandfathers ascension from Indian coolie to illustrious resident of the Big House on Kingfisher Lane, and going on to tell the story of how Appa, the familys Oxford-educated patriarch, courted Amma, the humble girl next door, Evening Is the Whole Day moves gracefully backward and forward in time to answer the many questions that haunt the family: What was Chellams unforgivable crime? Why was Uma so intent on leaving? How and why did Paati die? What did Aasha see? And, underscoring all of these mysteries: What ultimately became of Appas once-grand dreams for his family and his country?

Sweeping in scope, sumptuously lyrical, and masterfully constructed, Evening Is the Whole Day offers an unflinching look at relationships between parents and children, brothers and sisters, the wealthy and the poor, a country and its citizens--and the ways in which each sometimes fails the other. Illuminating in heartbreaking detail one Indian immigrant familys secrets and lies while exposing the complex underbelly of Malaysia itself, Preeta Samarasans debut is a mesmerizing and vital achievement sure to earn her a place alongside Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai, and Zadie Smith.

Preeta Samarasan was born and raised in Malaysia, but moved to the United States in high-school. She received her M.F.A. from the University of Michigan, where an early version of this novel received the Hopwood Novel Award; she also recently won the Asian American Writer's Workshop/Hyphen Magazine short-story award. She currently lives in central France with her husband and dog.

CONTENTS 1. The Ignominious Departure of Chellamservant Daughter-of-Muniandy 1 2. Big House Beginnings 17 3. The Necessary Sacrifice of the Burdensome Relic 29 4. An Old-Fashioned Courtship 44 5. The Recondite Return of Paati the Dissatisfied 67 6. After Great Expectations 91 7. Power Struggles 110 8. What Aasha Saw 136 9. The Futile Incident of the Sapphire Pendant 175 10. The God of Gossip Conquers the Garden Temple 199 11. The Final Visit of the Fleet-footed Uncle 224 12. The Unlucky Revelation of Chellam Newservant 249 13. What Uncle Ballroom Saw 273 14. The Golden Descent of Chellam, the Bringer of Succor 312 15. The Glorious Ascent of Uma the Oldest-Eldest 327 Acknowledgments 340