Like Water on Leaves of Taro: A Himalayan Memoir

by Tulasi Acharya, Amber Lanier Nagle (Cover Art)

When Tulasi Acharya returns home to Nepal from the United States to celebrate his daughter's first birthday, he does not expect his world to be turned upside down. But when his mother-in-law dies suddenly, a joyful reunion becomes a season of mourning-and a journey through the fragile space between life and death.



As his wife grieves and observes traditional rituals, Tulasi finds himself caring for his father-in-law, whose health is rapidly declining. What follows is a deeply personal account of a son-in-law's struggle to balance love, duty, and distance-caught between two continents, two families, and two ways of being. Amid hospital visits, cultural expectations, and the crushing weight of unspoken truths, Tulasi wrestles with questions of masculinity, caretaking, and how to tell someone they're dying.



Set against the lush yet turbulent backdrop of Nepal during the COVID-19 pandemic, Like Water on Leaves of Taro weaves together themes of loss, resilience, identity, and hope. The memoir honors sacred rituals and everyday heartbreaks, from the thirteenth-day death feast to a father's wish to spare his daughter further grief. Through poetry, reflection, and memory, the author invites readers to witness the quiet strength of family, the complexity of Nepali culture, and the universality of sorrow.



This is not just a story of illness and loss-it is a meditation on what it means to be human, to mourn, to endure, and to carry love forward in a world that feels constantly in flux.

For readers of When Breath Becomes Air, The Year of Magical Thinking, and The Long Goodbye, Like Water on Leaves of Taro offers a moving cross-cultural perspective on grief, devotion, and the enduring lessons of death.

Genres: Memoir

212 pages, Hardcover

Published October 7, 2025

About the author

Tulasi Acharya, PhD, originally from Nepal, began his American journey in 2008. He holds a Master’s in Professional Writing from Kennesaw State University, a Master’s in Women’s Studies, and a PhD in Public Administration from Florida Atlantic University. He also earned an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College. Dr. Acharya currently teaches English at South Georgia State College.

An accomplished multilingual author, Dr. Acharya has published over a dozen books across multiple genres. His debut English novel, Running from the Dreamland, received critical acclaim, and his bestselling Nepali novels, Mochan and Swapnabhumi, reflect his literary versatility in both Nepali and English. His academic and creative work has been published by leading publishers, including Routledge and Lexington Books, an imprint of Bloomsbury Academic.

Dr. Acharya’s short stories have earned honors such as the Certificate of Excellence from the University of New Hampshire and have appeared in numerous literary journals and newspapers, including The Kathmandu Post, The Himalayan Times, The Rising Nepal, and the MSU Roadrunner Review. In recognition of his literary achievements in the global Nepali community, he received the INLS (International Nepali Literary Society) Homanath Subedi Diaspora Best Literary Award.

In his most recent book titled, Like Water on Leaves of Taro, Acharya extends an invitation to readers to witness mourning as both personal and communal, grounded in ancient tradition yet deeply relevant in today’s fractured world.

His writing is driven by an unwavering passion for storytelling, cultural connection, and the written word.

Reviews

[Sharon Huether · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Author, a Nepali is a university teacher. He shares the evens of his wife's family as they faced the unexpected death of her mother. Thirteen days of mourning and the ill health of her father. The father's condition was advanced and they gave him comfort care. He too was given thirteen days of mourning.
The author was able to teach his classes on-line from Nepal to the United States.
The author explains the many customs of his people.

I want to thank Colorful Crow Publishing for sending me a finished copy of the book.

[Pashupati Ghimire · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Himalayan Memoir stole my heart. When you go through the pages of this book, you’ll realize that human life is really like water on leaves of Taro . Writer Tulasi Acharya deserves a huge congratulations for this beautiful book.

[Urmila · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book.Dr. Tulasi Acharya transforms personal grief into a profound meditation on love, loss, and resilience. Blending intimate storytelling with philosophical reflection, Dr. Acharya captures the heartbreak of his family’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic and connects it to the broader human condition.

This memoir is not just a personal narrative; it’s a work of empathy and insight. Dr. Acharya reminds us that in the face of collective sorrow, remembrance and love can still offer light. Like Water on Leaves of Taro is a moving tribute to resilience and the redemptive power of memory.

[Tulasi Acharya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Editorial Reviews
Review
"In Like Water on Leaves of Taro, Tulasi Acharya approaches personal loss with both emotional honesty and intellectual depth. Weaving his family's private sorrow with the global tragedy of theCOVID-19 pandemic, Acharya explores the limits of human endurance through a kaleidoscope of cultural, generational, and spiritual perspectives.
His prose is mesmerizing—soft, lyrical, and deeply affecting. Acharya beautifully portrays the love and respect that binds his family, tenderly illustrating their struggle to make sense of a dark and complex world. With arresting clarity, he plunges readers into the vivid landscape of grief and the universal need to find meaning in loss. Ultimately, this memoir offers a stirring testament to the healing power of reflection, memory, and hope."
—The Book Life Prize

"Like Water on Leaves of Taro," Tulasi Acharya's poignant memoir invites readers into a deeply personal story shaped by love, loss, and the shifting ground beneath a family caught between continents and generations. With lyrical honesty, Tulasi reflects on fatherhood, grief, and the rituals that hold us together—even as the world around us unravels. Set against the rich landscape of Nepal and shadowed by a global pandemic, this is a moving meditation on resilience, responsibility, and the fragile beauty of everyday life."
—Robert Gwaltney, award-winning author of The Cicada Tree

"In Like Water on Leaves of Taro, while Acharya's homecoming is filled with frustration and grief, readers, especially those mourning the loss of a relative or friend, will appreciate and find comfort in his quiet reflection on what gives his life real substance and meaning—good health, being present to the moment, and cherishing and remembering those he loves."
—Kristine F. Anderson, author of the award-winning Crooked Truth and the award-winning Crooked Lines

"Like Water on Leaves of Taro is an incredibly heartbreaking memoir that tells of the shared experiences of a family coming to terms with an unimaginable and untimely loss. This memoir is a poignant read."
—Elizabeth Howard, Assistant Branch Manager Calhoun-Gordon County Library

"Like Water on Leaves of Taro: A Himalayan Memoir presents events and context from a fresh and honest perspective. The book highlights societal reluctance to openly discuss illnesses like cancer, especially with children, and this dynamic is artfully portrayed in the book. The writer has vividly and honestly portrayed the family calamity in the book."
—Prakash Sayami, Nepali Film Director, writer, and producer

"Like Water on Leaves of Taro: A Himalayan Memoir is an interdisciplinary text, which not only reflects the agonizing situation of the writer's spouse but also contributes to building public awareness about cancer. The book is a health awareness toolkit, while simultaneously conveying a family tragedy."
—Gita Tripathee, Nepali poet, lyricist, essayist, literary critic, and scholar

"The author's mastery of mystery and suspense is vividly apparent by how the reader is gripped through the final page of the book."
—Gopi Krishna Dhungana, Sub-editor of Annapurna Post

"The writer is engrossed in life, death, and meaningful life, with extensive references from philosophers, poets, essayists, and ethicists. The allusions range from a revered Hindu scripture, 'Mahabharat', and from 'Waste Land', a seminal modern poem by TS Eliot. The invocation of philosophy on the termination of life and yearning to seek meaning makes the book meditative and literary."
—Narayan Ghimire, Editor, New Agency of Nepal RSS

"This raw and riveting memoir offers a unique perspective on the author's experience of loss and love, death and birth within his family. Acharya pursues a Kafkaesque quest to navigate the tattered infrastructure of a health care system while honoring timeless rituals and social expectations as he seeks aid for his ailing father-in-law and grieving wife. By turns heart-stopping and poignant, this beautifully written work gives us a glimpse into the complex and intimate process of death and shows us ways to heal our souls after losses great and small. A must-read memoir!"
—Bridget Pupillo, Editor

"This memoir by Dr. Acharya, focuses on various dimensions and experiences of life and death. Death is inevitable. This book also confirms that death cannot be avoided."
—Padam Bhattarai in Annapurna Post

"The strength of this book lies in its simple presentation and reflection about life and death. In times of trouble, we often experience ambiguity and wonder what now? What next? In his book, Like Water on Leaves of Taro: A Himalayan Memoir, author Dr. Tulasi Acharya openly talks about life and death by candidly approaching the subject in a clear and simple manner designed to resonate with us all."
—Badri Prasad Dhakal, Author

“Acharya takes us on a heartfelt journey into life’s fragility and grief, but at every turn he reminds us that love and hope give light in dark places. Nepal may offer a foreign setting to many readers, but the emotional territory of this memoir is familiar and will reward.”
—Tony Grooms, Georgia Writers Hall of Fame inductee and award-winning author of Bombingham and The Vain Conversation

[Vickie McEntire · Rating 5 out of 5]

The more I work with Tulasi Acharya and read passages from his memoir, Like Water on Leaves of Taro, the more that world becomes real to me—its narrow alleyways, its sacred rituals, its unspoken griefs. Long after closing the pages, I find myself walking his steps. This is not simply a memoir; it is an experience that lingers.
Tulasi has shaped this book with grace and emotional honesty, capturing bewildering moments of helplessness, love, and quiet dignity with remarkable care. The memoir gently gathers themes of grief, impermanence, and the fragile hope carried in small gestures—a finger wiping away sweat, a drop of moisture resting like morning dew on a plant leaf, love becoming a part of everything it touched. These images remain.
This is a literary memoir in the truest sense. With a resonant, introspective cadence, Tulasi moves from observation to internal experience, deepening the emotional weight of every encounter. The book bridges the personal and the global—his family’s tragedy unfolding against the tension of a pandemic—yet never loses the narrator’s human presence.
There are passages that stopped me with their devastating beauty:
“That day reminded me: death doesn’t only take. Sometimes, it gives. It carves space for reconnection, for tenderness, for truths we overlook in the rush of living.”
And others that preserve the emotional delicacy of the moment so well, I felt as though I was standing in the room beside him. One in particular has stayed with me:
“… I tried to carry them forward as a driver, not of the car, but of our love and relationship.”
It’s that tender restraint, that willingness to hold space for emotional fallout, that makes this memoir unforgettable. There is a powerful contrast between place, class, and emotional atmosphere, and yet Tulasi writes with quiet humility and reverence for those around him.
Like Water on Leaves of Taro is beautifully introspective, raw, and powerfully human. It is a thoughtful meditation on mortality, culture, love, and meaning—and one that will stay with you long after the last page.

[Kay Traille · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acharya’s memorable memoir ‘Like water on Leaves of Taro’ set in Nepal uncovers the intersection of death, family, and tradition happening during a time of worldwide loss-the Covid Pandemic. This is a personal yet universal account of loss and how a family’s world came crashing down in slow motion. It is also a story of hope, love and the nudging of boundaries in a patriarchal society. It uncovers the brutality of medical bureaucracy, and the weariness of health workers. Metaphorical drowning and clutching at straws when faced with inevitability is told with skill and honesty. This work deals with hard truths that we all have or will face. It lays bare facts of life, such as ‘we are what we practice, not what we think we are’ to what we avoid ultimately controls us. It is an honest and refreshing read full of universal hope and love.

[Jwalanta Subedi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Water on Leaves of Taro by Dr. Tulasi Acharya is a poignant memoir that explores love, loss, and the fragility of life through the lens of Nepali family traditions and personal grief. Written with lyrical simplicity, it captures how cultural rituals shape our understanding of death and resilience. Acharya’s reflections bridge the emotional distance between Nepal and the diaspora, making the story both intimate and universal. This heartfelt book lingers like its title—brief, delicate, and deeply human.

[Mukunda Pudasaini · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading Dr. Acharya's book. Especially this one is my type. Life is uncertain, and we are tied to our relatives with different responsibilities that so many people in this world are unaware of. We are emotionally connected in such a way that sometimes we have to forget our priorities to get involved in family matters.
This book reflects the emotional pain of losing someone dependable and navigating forward steps with maturity from a Himalayan cultural perspective. The writer has analyzed meticulously the unthinkable consequences of a pandemic hitting hard.

[Kunal Acharya · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the excellent and mindblowing book on death and loss and grief. There is a lot of research waived in a heart rendering story. I strongly recommend readers from all cultures read this. Just wow!!

[Suraj · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers a touching and thoughtful exploration of death and grief, supported by extensive research. Its story is truly moving, and I highly recommend it to readers from any background.