The Direction of the Wind: A Novel

A heartfelt story that spans continents and generations, about a young woman who searches for answers about a mother she barely remembers.

Sophie Shah was six when she learned her mother, Nita, had died. For twenty-two years, she shouldered the burden of that loss. But when her father passes away, Sophie discovers a cache of hidden letters revealing a shattering truth: her mother didn't die. She left.

Nita Shah had everything most women dreamed of in her hometown of Ahmedabad, India--a loving husband, a doting daughter, financial security--but in her heart, she felt like she was living a lie. Fueled by her creative ambitions, Nita moved to Paris, the artists' capital of the world--even though it meant leaving her family behind. But once in Paris, Nita's decision and its consequences would haunt her in ways she never expected.

Now that Sophie knows the truth, she's determined to find the mother who abandoned her. Sophie jets off to Paris, even though the impulsive trip may risk her impending arranged marriage. In the City of Light, she chases lead after lead that help her piece together a startling portrait of her mother. Though Sophie goes to Paris to find Nita, she may just also discover parts of herself she never knew.

BUY THE BOOK

319 pages

Average rating: 7.22

9 RATINGS

|

Community Reviews

Shy_Shy
Jan 04, 2024
6/10 stars
I did not know what to expect reading this book and it definitely was not what I expected, it was a good read not a favorite but I enjoyed it nonetheless, the book is supposed to be about addiction and mental illness but I didn’t get that as much as I got fear of going against tradition and being to afraid of others judgement its a duo POV of a mother and daughter from India the mother moving to France to follow her dream but being to afraid to return home when life isn’t going as planned, the daughter wanting to find her mother to find out why she left and never returned only to find she has family she did not know about
margardenlady
Dec 27, 2023
8/10 stars
Shah writes a dual timeline book that allows us to explore the life of a privileged Indian woman in the 1980s, and her daughter in the 2010s. Sophie was raised by her papa, after her mother died when Sophie was 6. But did she die? It turns out that the death was a lie perpetrated to save face. We explore the search that Sophie's mother, Nita, encounters as she tries to pursue her art and the shock and revelation that Sophie engages in after her Papa dies and she realizes that her mother's death was a story she was told as a child. Part mystery, part family drama. This exploration of the life of arranged marriages and very specific cultural expectations was fascinating.

See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.