Six Days in Bombay: A Continent-Spanning Historical Novel of Friendship, Identity, and Mystery from the New York Times Bestselling Author of the Henna

By Alka Joshi

Book Overview

"A sparkling travelogue and a poignant journey of self-discovery all in one. . . . Alka Joshi is simply the best " --Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Rose Code

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist, this sweeping novel of identity and self-discovery takes readers from Bombay to Prague, Florence, Paris and London, to uncover the mystery behind a famous painter's death.

When renowned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she's expected to make a quick recovery, and her nurse, Sona, is excited to learn more about the vivacious artist who shares her half-Indian identity. Sona, yearning for a larger life, finds herself carried away by Mira's stories of her travels and exploits and is shocked by accounts of the many lovers the painter has left scattered throughout Europe. When Mira dies quite suddenly and mysteriously, Sona falls under suspicion, and her quiet life is upended.

The key to proving Sona's innocence may lie in a cryptic note and four paintings Mira left in her care, sending the young woman on a mission to visit the painter's former friends and lovers across a tumultuous Europe teetering toward war. On the precipice of discovering her own identity, Sona learns that the painter's charming facade hid a far more complicated, troubled soul.

In her first stand-alone novel since her bestselling debut, The Henna Artist, Alka Joshi uses the life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil, the "Frida Kahlo of India," as inspiration for the story's beginning to explore how far we'll travel to determine where we truly belong.

Discover more novels from Alka Joshi:
THE HENNA ARTIST THE SECRET KEEPER OF JAIPUR THE PERFUMIST OF PARIS

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 077836853X
• ISBN13: 9780778368533
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Mira Books
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 0.88 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Excellent coming of age novel originating in India

Thanks to NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for a digital advanced readers copy. All comments and opinions are my own. I’ve read all three of Alka Joshi’s novels, so this fourth was a must-read for me and I was not disappointed. The story starts out leisurely as we are introduced to nurse Sona Falstaff in 1937 Bombay. She befriends renowned painter Mira Novak, a new patient who fascinates Sona. They are both young and of mixed heritage (English and Indian). But Mira is everything Sona is not – sophisticated and worldly, confident and wealthy. Sona spends six days with Mira in the hospital while she recovers. Mira encourages Sona to take risks and accept challenges in all areas of her life. After Mira dies unexpectedly from complications of a miscarriage, Sona is accused of carelessness. She is dismissed from this hospital and decides to follow the request in Mira’s note to her. Mira sends her on a journey that will open up her world, leave her sheltered life, and take chances. Despite having never been outside of India before, Sona travels to Prague, Florence, Paris and London, to deliver Mira’s paintings to her friends. She also decides to search for the father who abandoned her many years ago. During her travels Sona learns that not everyone is who they appear to be, which is one of the novel’s themes. Sona “struggles with her identity – with an English father and a Hindu mother, she is Anglo-Indian and neither fully English nor fully Indian.” The concept of identity continues throughout the novel, as well as the half-half and in-between themes that refer to several characters as well as India’s fight for independence from British rule at the time. Even the fact that the story takes place in between the two world wars contributes to that theme. I liked the character of Sona, even though I occasionally wanted to shout out warnings to her when I could see what was likely to happen and usually did. Despite being an adult, I consider this a coming-of-age novel as Sona was young and unexperienced. Fulfilling Mira’s request actually helps Sona to grow up, learn about herself, and satisfy her dream of a larger life. I enjoyed this satisfying and well-written novel and highly recommend it.