{"product_id":"9788184001877","title":"Aftertaste","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is a literary fiction novel centered on a Bombay family of sweet-makers during Diwali in 1984. The central theme explores loyalty, ambition, tradition, and the quiet fractures that run through a close-knit clan as their mother lies comatose, testing bonds and exposing secrets. The intended reader is adults who enjoy layered family dramas with cultural texture and moral shade, delivered in a poised, compassionate voice.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eThe narrative is story-led and character-driven, set against a backdrop of a family-run mithai business and the festival-driven life of 1980s Bombay. Through the four siblings—each with a distinct temperament and hidden motive—the tale moves between hospital rooms, home kitchens, and the city’s streets, with rich sensory detail and intimate dialogue that creates a cinematic reading experience.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eReaders are pulled into the tension as past loyalties collide with present desires, and perspectives shift, letting readers piece together secrets, debts, and moral choices without revealing everything at once. The Diwali-era setting adds cultural depth, while the plot stays focused on universal questions of responsibility, forgiveness, and what family will endure.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFour siblings with distinct voices and evolving motives\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBackdrop of a family-run mithai business and Diwali-era Bombay\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThemes of loyalty, ambition, debt, and forgiveness\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eRich, cinematic writing with sensory detail and cultural texture\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStory-driven structure with intimate scenes and broad social context\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEngaging, accessible pacing that invites reflection\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e \u003cp\u003eReaders finish with a nuanced understanding of how family ties endure under pressure, how secrets shape choices, and how tradition and modern life collide. It invites reflection on memory, responsibility, and the costs of ambition, leaving a lasting impression of empathy and insight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Crossword.in","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48540683731161,"sku":"9788184001877","price":380.0,"currency_code":"INR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0648\/3066\/9017\/files\/71NTyXqVbdL._SL1383.jpg?v=1779259214","url":"https:\/\/www.crossword.in\/products\/9788184001877","provider":"Crossword.in ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}