Marigold

by Heena Singhal

Marigold is a young Indian-origin woman who works in a vintage library of classics in the city of Rome. Her seemingly ordinary life- defined by routine and the quiet companionship of books-is held together by secrets she refuses to face.

Her relationship with her lover is close and consuming, yet built around a boundary he insists must not be crossed.

While mourning the loss of her dog, Marigold begins therapy. Her fragile sense of healing takes a sudden turn when her mother disappears unexpectedly.

The discovery of an unpublished biography hidden in the attic draws Marigold into her parents' childhood in New Delhi-and toward truths long buried in her own heart.

As she investigates the celebrated yet mysterious life of her artist mother, Marigold learns the language of paintings, and of what emerges only when one dares to look long enough. As fiction and reality slowly pull apart, her search carries her toward a revelation that is both intimate and devastating.

385 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 2, 2026

About the author

Heena Singhal is an Indian novelist and mixed-media artist. Trained as a Chartered Accountant, she found her voice in fiction and art, writing stories that explore grief, memory, womanhood, and the quiet violence of silence. She is the author of Songs of the Reed and Marigold, and lives between stories, colours, and motherhood.

Reviews

[a_geminireader · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up "Marigold" without really knowing what to expect, but this turned out to be one of those stories that quietly settles into your heart.

The story unfolds slowly, and that’s exactly what makes it so beautiful. It gently pulls you into Marigold’s world her grief, confusion, memories, and the truths she is trying to uncover about herself and her family.

What stayed with me the most was how layered the story felt. The shifting between Rome and New Delhi, the hidden family history, and the language of art and paintings added so much depth to the narrative. The emotions felt raw and real, especially the way grief was portrayed messy, confusing, and all-consuming.

What I also loved was how beautifully this book shows the way generational trauma quietly passes from one generation to another, shaping lives in ways we often don’t even realise. It was heartbreaking to witness how deeply silence, pain, and unresolved wounds can live on.

And Ira... I genuinely cried for her. There was so much pain and loneliness in her story that there were moments when I just wished I could reach into the pages and hug her. Her journey broke my heart in ways I wasn’t expecting.

I also really loved how beautifully the author captured the artist’s world. The way paintings became a language of their own, carrying emotions that words couldn’t express, was written so delicately and thoughtfully.

This book doesn’t scream for your attention. It quietly unfolds, layer by layer, and before you realise it, it leaves you carrying its characters and their pain with you.

Even after finishing it, I kept thinking about Ira, Marigold, and everything they carried within themselves. Some stories end when you turn the last page, but this one lingers. It leaves behind a strange ache, the kind that comes when a book has made you feel something deeply real. And honestly, that’s what made this book so special for me.

[Booknightouts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marigold is one of those books that quietly settles into you and then refuses to leave.

At its core, it speaks about generational trauma and how it moves through families in ways we don’t always notice. Not out of intention, but because healing is hard, and sometimes we simply don’t know how to begin. Through Mandira, Ira, and Marigold, we see how pain travels from mother to daughter, shaping lives in quiet, lasting ways. No one here is entirely right or wrong. It feels honest, like life itself, where people are only trying to survive what they carry.

What makes this book so special is how real the emotions feel. They are messy, layered, and at times overwhelming. Nothing is softened or hidden. And yet, even within all that heaviness, love still finds a place.

I was especially drawn to Ira and Nihal. Their story felt so raw and genuine. Two people, both carrying their own pain, finding comfort in each other in the simplest ways. Their bond, their quiet understanding, stayed with me.❤️‍🩹

I also loved how art becomes a way of expression when words fall short. It adds such a beautiful depth to the story. And the warmth of characters like Amma and Sonam, along with those soft old-school 90s and early 2000s moments, made everything feel even more close and familiar.

The writing flows so naturally. It doesn’t try to impress, yet it pulls you in completely. The short chapters make it easy to keep going, I found myself finishing it in just three sittings without even realizing.

I picked up Marigold without knowing what to expect, but somewhere along the way, I fell in love with it. It’s quiet, it’s painful, it’s beautiful and it feels deeply human.

[Aishwarya Biswas · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words can truly express the beauty of this book. Otherworldly. Fascinating. Magical.



Trauma ruins everything across generations. A dysfunctional family permanently leaves a wound that keeps passing on, continuing to ruin lives. Marigold is a young woman of Indian origin who works in a library in Rome. She’s an enigma. I absolutely love how her character is written—full of secrets, intimacy, and vulnerability. While tracing secrets about her mother Ira, she discovers something in her attic that turns her life upside down. You’ll find the line between truth and fiction blur. The human psyche is unsettling, that’s what I believe. Because it betrays you and takes you to places you never imagined you’d explore.

Through Marigold, we are taken into Ira’s life and her young love. This is what shattered me because I felt oddly seen. All the lives around Ira are woven beautifully, and the tragedy scratches at your heart. Ira’s heartbreak and the colours of her life seeped into my soul, making her feel extremely intimate. I absolutely loved how the characters’ pain is captured so beautifully—their helplessness, their vulnerability, and yet their act of pretending to be okay. But are we ever really fine?

While reading this, I was constantly reminded of Sylvia Plath —her lingering sense of not belonging anywhere, her pain and grief, that suffocating feeling of being trapped within your own emotions. Not being able to fully express it, and yet being completely consumed by it until it finds its way out through art.

Marigold has a constant companion, Gaius, who always protects her, yet is written with mystery. Why does your heart always take you to places that are forbidden?

I loved Nihal. His vulnerability, his rawness, just him. He finds solace in books because he is constantly fighting his own inner demons to protect his HOME.

Slowly, everything starts blurring before your eyes, and you’ll find your heart howling, unable to hold the emotions. All the love feels like it’s crumbling like paper, and your heart starts to pound, almost turning into dust under the weight of unbearable pain, until you’re left feeling numb… empty.

I felt so numb after I closed the last page yesterday. I didn’t know how to process the myriad of emotions I experienced while absorbing each word into my soul. I had absolutely no idea how devastating it would be, and it would be safe to say that the book consumed me, not the other way around. The book is so well written that I still don’t know how to explain exactly what I’m feeling, because I won’t be able to justify even 1% of what I felt while reading it. I loved the characters that unfolded as we got to know Marigold through her world.

[Shreya Goswamy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes the book looks so good you need to pick it up, especially if the author has drawn the cover herself <3
@pages_pen_heena has definitely created a beautiful world of emotions where every reader will resonate deeply with Marigold's pain and struggle and yet, will be reminded with a bittersweet smile that life definitely can get better!Set in the vintage libraries of Rome and the past of 1990s New Delhi, it follows an Indian-origin woman who must confront long-buried family secrets after her mother’s sudden disappearance.
🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️
Tropes :
🏵️The Disappearing Mother
🏵️Artistic Expression as Truth
🏵️Generational Trauma
🏵️Dual Timelines
🏵️The Reluctant Return
🏵️Found Documents
🏵️Grief-Induced Awakening
🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️🏵️
This isn’t just psychological literary fiction; it’s a deep dive into the "quiet violence" of family secrets and generational trauma.
Overall impression:
Introspective, moody, and deeply human. A must-read for fans of female-centric psychological drama.
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Thank you @thebookoholics
and @papertownsindia for the gifted copy!
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#MarigoldNovel#HeenaSinghal#PsychologicalFiction#LiteraryFiction#BookstagramIndia
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[Gracie Hazelnut · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marigold is a psychological literary fiction And the best part? The painting on the cover is done by the author herself! Her talent is something to talk about.

Set in Rome, the story revolves around Mari, who works in a vintage library and is living a life not irrespective of grief and emotional distress. Her perspective slowly unfurls like the petals of a voluminous flower, letting her most intimate thoughts glimmer in the lowest of lights.

She's a puzzle to be solved, and her willingness to isolate her mind doesn't make it easy. I don't want to give any spoilers so I'll just drop the synopsis here. From the beginning, the book picks up on her daily dutiful activities. Later, she loses her pet dog which leads her to therapy sessions. But, as she was in the process of healing, something else hit her like never before. Her mother disappears out of the blue.

She discovers a hidden biography in the attic and through that, she learns about the childhood of her parents in New Delhi, followed by truths she wanted to forget.

The writing is heavily emotional, not rushed or unnecessary. I felt so many things at once which are completely raw and unprotected. And that's the beauty of this book, it doesn't let your guesses win, instead it'll shock you with unforeseen twists. The characters are perfectly flawed, perfectly human. I loved the book through and through. Pick this up if you haven't yet because this book will stay with you for a long time.

[Aradhna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book turned out to be such an emotional and beautifully layered read. From the very beginning, the writing felt raw, deep and full of feelings that stay with you even after finishing the book. The author has written every character with so much care that their pain, love, grief and confusion feel completely real.

What I loved most was how the story slowly unfolds instead of rushing through emotions. The book talks about heartbreak, healing, family, loneliness, art and relationships in a very honest way. Marigold, Ira and Nihal are characters that stay in your mind for a long time because of how human and flawed they feel. Their journeys are emotional, messy and relatable.

The suspense element of the story was also brilliantly done. I genuinely did not see the twist coming at all, and almost all of my guesses turned out to be wrong. That made the reading experience even more intense and memorable. The mystery blends perfectly with the emotional depth of the story.

Another beautiful thing about this book is the writing style. It feels poetic without becoming difficult to read. Knowing that this is written by an Indian author makes it even more special because the emotions, family dynamics and settings feel close and familiar.

A wonderfully written book that is emotional, gripping and unforgettable.

[Arushi Kulshreshtha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marigold is a psychological literary fiction novel of around 315 pages, written in beautiful and expressive language. The story is about Marigold's life and her mother, exploring themes of first love, heartbreak, trauma, healing, and personal growth.
The story beautifully captures the intensity of experiencing romantic feelings for the first time, the joy, vulnerability, and pain that often accompany them. Filled with deep emotions, the narrative weaves together the lives and stories of several characters, each adding another layer to the overall journey.
The story is divided into three parts. The first part focuses on Marigold's present life, the second tells the back story of her mother, and the final part returns to Marigold and brings her journey to a close.
While the emotional depth of the novel is one of its greatest strengths, I felt the story was stretched out at times, making it a rather slow-paced read for me. The writing demands careful attention, as the story is beautifully written in emotional layers.
Additionally, the large cast of characters occasionally made it difficult for me to keep track of everyone and their individual storylines.
Overall, if you enjoy character-driven psychological fiction and do not mind a slow-paced narrative, Marigold is a book worth considering.

[Sunshine_bookshine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book only because of its cover but after knowing that it was painted by the author @heena singhal itself made you admire her more. It’s the kind of book that quietly settles into you and no matter how you take it in beginning at the end you understood the gravity of words it comes with.

Marigold, a young Indian origin woman works in a library in Rome who investigates the mysterious life of her artist mother who died unexpectedly. During this she learns the language of paintings and explores the grief and secrets she held inside. As she found out more truths in all along this she reveals herself to more than she thought. It’s a fictional story with twists in the end that’s the best part. A good read.

[Isha · Rating 4 out of 5]

The messiness, shortness and tragedy of life.... the irony of life that we end up hurting the ones we love the most.... We promise not to let out darkness swallow our kin, but somehow end up passing the burden onto them in one way or the other!! Mandira, Ira and Marigold, women across generations, strong, powerful, unyielding, yet broken, in their own ways, and each one, knowingly or unknowingly, passed on the burden of their pain onto their loved ones!!! This piece hit way close to home, because each of us has had demons to slay, when no one was watching, no one was listening and about whom no one knew!!! Yet life goes on...

[Dimple Patel · Rating 5 out of 5]

My mind was blown off by the ending, I would highly highly recommend people to read this book🤌🏻🤌🏻 The narration, the writing everything was sooooo well written...❤️