“People are a gift to this cycle of in your life. We learn in the ancient texts how all journeys are influenced by those who travel alongside us. We must embrace these fellow travelers. The joy they bring, as well as the disruption they often create. They are all sent as teachers.”
And that is exactly what Raya Liston, the protagonist, is going to learn. Raya is an intelligent, sweet, highly organized senior in high school, who just got accepted into UCLA (her dream college), and can’t be anything but happy…Right?
When she talks with her grandmother ( Daadi) who is on her deathbed, for the last time, her Daadi tells her that she left behind a few things for Raya, and her cousin, Anandi, at the ashram, she lived in before her marriage. Because of her old age, and weakening memory, she isn’t able to give the whereabouts of these items. But, Raya is determined to find those things and respect and honor her grandmother’s last wish. She and Anandi, set off to spend a month in the ashram and figure out the scavenger hunt (with no clues) their Daadi l eft for them.
At the ashram, they meet some very interesting people – specifically one with “eyes that were the deepest and most intense golden color” Raya had ever seen, who goes by the name Kiran, and will be the love interest of our beautiful MC — he is mischievous and has a love for film-making. He is forcefully sent to the ashram by his parents, and has no interest in being there – well, until Raya comes along. He helps Raya in figuring out the secrets that await her, while becoming one of Raya’s biggest secrets from everyone as well.
Every character in this book enlightens Raya (and readers) in understanding her own life, and her perception of what it means to live, what exactly to live for. Despite varying in ages, all characters blend wonderfully with one another, teaching something valuable – at the same time, hiding certain things about themselves, which increases the factor of ‘wanting to know what happens’ till the end. Specifically, what is it that her Daadi left behind for her and Anandi???
This is a book of first-love – spanning generations, of what it means to truly commit yourself to one thing — especially that strange adjustment period after high school — and of course, finding peace amongst the chaos of everything going on around you, and learning to embrace it.