The Confluence
By Puja Guha

The Confluence is a heartfelt letter from the mother to her adopted child. The letter is used as a prop to tell the tale of a child's family history. When Naina, the mother, is proposed to by Dev, his family being of a certain class not wanting scandal, they begin private investigations into Naina's past. This in turn inspires Naina, partially in fear of what might be uncovered, to go and search for her cousin she lost contact with twenty years previous. We are whisked away to the turmoil in East Africa, then to the slums of Calcutta as Naina attempts to understand the intricacies of her families past.
What begins as a mystery turns into a heartfelt tale as Nitu, the cousin, is found, as too his child and the mother that abandoned him.
I enjoyed this book. It is light but engaging. And wears its pathos well.
Roo