About the Book

Dipti, an Indian girl brought up from childhood in England, had opted for an arranged marriage. But she soon discovers that her marriage is unworkable. Then she meets her soul-mate, Samaresh. Their love flourishes in the beautiful mountains of Sikkim. Just when she finally makes up her mind to leave her husband, she discovers that she is pregnant and is not sure whether her husband or her lover is the father of the child (in 1963 DNA tests to determine paternity were still far away). The novel ends with the way her resolute and graceful mind deals with the situation in which she finds herself.

“It is true that an Orange Moon does not exist or, at least, is not available to most men and women. Isn’t this nonexistent moon an appropriate symbol of a nonexistent but nevertheless very ideal, extremely fulfilling love?” – Ramakanta Rath, president, Sahitya Academy (The Indian National Academy of Letters)

“This novel holds together well and characters emerge as full-blooded people. Dipti, Samaresh, and the doctor come through as real human beings. The narrative has a good pace and the atmosphere and environment is created with a great sense of place.” – Shyam Benegal, Bollywood film director

“The novel Orange Moon is a reader’s book. It gives you an outlet from the world of everyday tensions of a routine, mundane life. It is a dream romance in the silent environment of hills. Yet, the book is an act of rebellion. Amidst all the tensions of life, it amazingly keeps the beauty within a person alive.” – Rajendra Yadav, editor of the Hindi literary magazine Hans, which serialized the novel