Books like Before we visit the goddess by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

In *Before We Visit the Goddess*, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni follows the intertwined lives of three generations of Indian women. Sabitri, a baker’s daughter in rural Bengal, longs for an education that her family’s poverty keeps out of reach. Her chance at a new life arrives when an influential woman from Kolkata takes her under her wing, only to find that the generosity carries unforeseen risks. Years later, Sabitri’s daughter Bela, shaped by her mother’s choices, leaves for America with a political refugee lover. The America she finds is starkly different from the one she imagined, and when the marriage ends, she must forge her own path. In doing so, Bela imparts lessons of freedom, heartbreak, and loyalty to her own daughter, Tara, whose life will stand on the legacies of her forebears. Spanning the twentieth century, the novel moves from the countryside of Bengal to the streets of Houston, Texas, offering a vivid portrait of how love and ambition can unite and divide families across continents.

First publish date: 2016