Marriage of a Thousand Lies
SJ Sindu
ISBN: 9781616957902
Published: June, 2017
Pricing
Paperback $15.00
More books by SJ Sindu
Description
Lucky and her husband, Krishna, are gay. They present an illusion of marital bliss to their conservative Sri Lankan–American families, while each dates on the side. It’s not ideal, but for Lucky, it seems to be working. But when Lucky’s grandmother has a nasty fall, Lucky returns to her childhood home and unexpectedly reconnects wit...
Lucky and her husband, Krishna, are gay. They present an illusion of marital bliss to their conservative Sri Lankan–American families, while each dates on the side. It’s not ideal, but for Lucky, it seems to be working. But when Lucky’s grandmother has a nasty fall, Lucky returns to her childhood home and unexpectedly reconnects with her former best friend and first lover, Nisha, who is preparing for her own arranged wedding with a man she’s never met. As the connection between the two women is rekindled, Lucky tries to save Nisha from entering a marriage based on a lie. But does Nisha really want to be saved? And is Lucky willing to leave the life she’s known behind? A necessary and beautiful addition to both the Sri Lankan-American and LGBTQ canons, SJ Sindu’s debut novel, Marriage of a Thousand Lies, offers a moving and sharply rendered exploration of friendship, family, love, and loss.
Media
“A remarkable novel rich with interlocking issues both timeless and timely. SJ Sindu’s debut is more than impressive; it’s important.”
—Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain
“I love Lucky, the unforgettable narrator of Marriage of a Thousand Lies. She has taken a place among my favorite misfits in literature, a young woman longing for love and tradition and celebration and family even as she defies expectations and navigates her own paths. I’m especially captivated by the novel’s honesty and tenderness—SJ Sindu is an intuitive writer with great insights into the complications of love and friendship.”
—Timothy Schaffert, author of The Swan Gondola
“A well-written debut... brings to light the layers of struggles that shape our decisions on how we choose to live our lives.”
—BookTrib
“SJ Sindu’s fine debut [is] a timely tale with themes of immigration, free will, identity, and personal choice.”
—Booklist on Marriage of a Thousand Lies
“Marriage of a Thousand Lies is a rare book, written from a queer, South Asian perspective, but a welcome addition to an all-too-small canon.”
—Houston Press
“Enthralling... Sindu is a skilled writer, and this is a remarkable first novel.”
—Los Angeles Review of Books on Marriage of a Thousand Lives
“An important intervention in the canons of both LGBTQ and South Asian literature. Marriage of a Thousand Lies is not only important: it’s also a beautiful book, with fresh, tidy prose, and complex, flawed characters, a novel that is at once sad and hopeful.”
—Autostraddle
“Marriage of a Thousand Lies is a deeply affecting work in many ways.”
—The Aerogram
“[Sindu] has written a debut novel that is honest and moving—a complex story about a Sri-Lankan family and a strong female protagonist who struggles with her own identity against a backdrop of deep traditions and community.”
—Tallahassee Democrat on Marriage of a Thousand Lies
“So good...heartbreaking in the way it portrayed the characters torn between happiness and custom. SJ Sindu does a beautiful job describing how Lucky feels about living a secret life and her fear of disappointing her parents, and the language and imagery is gorgeous.”
—Book Riot on Marriage of a Thousand Lies
“Sindu’s heart-wrenching debut novel . . . incorporates love, loss, family, rebirth and growth to tell a captivating story you won’t be able to put down.”
—Ms. Magazine on Marriage of a Thousand Lives
“Marriage of a Thousand Lies is a beautiful exploration of queer South Asian-American identity. With both a compelling plot and a beautifully crafted cast of characters, this novel is a must-read.”
—Lambda Literary
“[A] perceptive, subtle, and provocative first novel. Sindu’s characters are all believably complicated and compassionately observed, and she anchors the central tension between individuality and ties to family in concrete scenes from Lucky’s life. The author’s quirky sense of humor and matter-of-fact take on a potentially fraught situation keep the tone of the novel deceptively light, resulting in a moving and memorable story. ”
—Publishers Weekly
“A Finalist for the Publishing Triangle Edmund White Debut Fiction Award.”