Habitations
A Novel
Table of Contents
About The Book
Vega Gopalan is adrift. Still reeling from the death of her sister years earlier, she leaves South India to attend graduate school at Columbia University. In New York, Vega straddles many different worlds, eventually moving in and out of a series of relationships that take her through the striving world of academia, the intellectual isolation of the immigrant suburbs, and, ultimately, the loneliness of single motherhood. But it is the birth of Vega’s daughter that forces the novel’s central question: What does it mean to make a home?
Written with dry humor and searing insight, Habitations is an “irresistible debut” (Deesha Philyaw, author of The Secret Lives of Church Ladies) about identity, immigration, expectation, desire, and love lost and found. But it is also a universal story of womanhood, and the ways in which women are forced to navigate multiple loyalties: to family, to community, and to themselves.
A “sweeping, immersive, and utterly perfect” (Weike Wang, author of Chemistry) meditation on the many meanings of home and on the ways love and kinship can be found, even in the most unfamiliar of places, Habitations introduces Sheila Sundar as an electrifying new voice in literary fiction.
About The Reader
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (April 2, 2024)
- Runtime: 12 hours and 9 minutes
- ISBN13: 9781797177113
Raves and Reviews
"Priya Ayyar brings emotional depth to this novel about a young Indian American woman's coming of age and unexpected entry into motherhood. She captures Vega—a quiet, shy college student—at a time of raw vulnerability by gently voicing her hopes, fears, triumphs, and heartaches. In an understated style, Ayyar softly explores Vega's exploration of what transforms a house, a city, or even a country into a home. Ayyar invites listeners to inhabit the life of this young first-generation American, to walk in her shoes and feel her struggles and joys. Vega grapples with her companionable but passionless marriage, establishes her own goals, and embraces her surprise pregnancy. Ayyar's thoughtful performance draws listeners in as empathetic witnesses."
– AudioFile Magazine
Resources and Downloads
High Resolution Images
- Book Cover Image (jpg): Habitations Unabridged Audio Download 9781797177113
- Author Photo (jpg): Sheila Sundar Photograph by Claire Bangser(0.1 MB)
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