Did you know France had established colonies in India? I had no idea. Not terribly big ones, mind you, mostly four totally unconnected coastal cities. The first was established in 1674, with the rest coming along in the 1700s. Today, they form the Union Territory of Puducherry (AKA Pondicherry). I looked this up because of the European vibe I was getting from this tale.
Grace was born in Pondicherry to an Italian academic and his wife, daughter of one of the established local landowning families. Her parents had separated when she was young, and then she had married and moved to the United States. However, her marriage wasn’t going well, and when she received the news her mother had died, and the relatives were expecting her for the cremation, she dropped everything and left for her childhood home.
But upon arriving at the estate, another surprise awaited her. She had a younger sister that no one had ever told her about. And with her estate, came the caretaking of this sister, who has Down’s syndrome. So this was a lot to take in. She has a sizeable estate, and the funds to go with. She has an unsuspected sister (with a care system, although somewhat imperfect, already in place mind you), and she is finding out that her past American life has less and less appeal for her.
I was charmed by the location – a rather different flavor of India – and was perfectly willing to let her dreamy and somewhat unlikely life unfold.
