***Listen to my interview with author Shree Ghatage as she talks about arranged marriage and what fascinates her about India in the 1940s.

This novel is about the main character learning how to be tolerant and compassionate, but only after making decisions that will forever change his life.

Shree Ghatage’s Thirst is set in India and England during the Second World War. The main character, Vijay Chafekar, or Baba as most people call him, is to go to London to study law. But first, his dad and brothers arrange for him to marry Vasanti.

By the time their arranged marriage turns into love, Baba is on a boat to London, leaving Vasanti behind. Baba feels regretful the moment he gets on the boat. But his stubbornness and resentment towards his dad prevent him from doing what he really wants, and that is to stay in India.

When he arrives in London, one action he takes changes everything, and he may never be able to return home.

It takes a series of mistakes for Baba to realize that he has been making decisions based on “dashed expectations and self-indulgent emotions.” But it may be too late by the time he realizes he has finally developed a sense of responsibility towards his family and his life.

Thirst is a captivating journey back in time to the days of a war-torn Europe, and India in the 1940s. It's also an inspiring look into the dynamics of family and relationships.

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