The Book of Everlasting Things: A Novel [Hardcover] Malhotra Aanchal

LAHORE, 1938.

Drawn by an intoxicating smell, Samir Vij first locks eyes with Firdaus Khan through the rows of perfume bottles in his family's ittar shop in Anarkali Bazaar. Over the years that follow, the perfumer and the illuminator of manuscripts fall in love, their story written in dark and delicate ink.

However, with the 1947 Partition and the birth of two independent nations, Samir, a Hindu, becomes Indian and Firdaus, a Muslim, becomes Pakistani. Bound by family and fate, torn between duty and desire, as the two lovers move farther away from one other, they must decide how much of their memories to hold on to...

An assured debut novel from historian Aanchal Malhotra, The Book of Everlasting Things is both intimate and sweeping. A story spanning continents and generations, braiding the threads of the past to the future, here is a book which will linger in the reader's mind like the notes of an unforgettable perfume.

'Tender, compassionate, extravagantly inventive. A family epic that tells the spiritual biography of a nation. The research that went into this novel is visible on every page, and I am full of admiration for its attentiveness to the infinite minutiae of love.'

-Jeet Thayil

'An immersive delight, The Book of Everlasting Things enlivens history and the senses equally. Utterly transporting, it evokes with charm and precision a bygone era, bursting from these pages with restored beauty. The book traverses more than a century with astonishing grace. Aanchal Malhotra has proven herself a detail-driven researcher and an empathetic historian, but this, her gorgeous, cinematic debut novel, stamps her place as a sublime storyteller.'

-Karuna Ezara Parikh

'At once sweeping and intimate. With gorgeous prose and careful research, Malhotra brings to life a world rich with Indian perfumery, Urdu calligraphy, and a romance that defies time and space. A stunning book that reminds you of what it is to fall in love.'

-Jenny Tinghui Zhang

'Spanning generations and continents, Malhotra's debut is both thought-provoking and deliciously romantic. The Book of Everlasting Things will awaken your senses and leave you captivated until the last page.'

-Lara Prescott

'Magical, illuminating, and thought-provoking! There is true love, longing, loss and healing inside The Book of Everlasting Things. Malhotra writes with the power of a novelist who is the master of her craft.'

-Nguyen Phan Que Mai

'The Book of Everlasting Things is a novel to be savoured for its details, for the texture of lived life in Lahore before Partition, for its evocations of characters and their artistic sensibilities. This is a mesmerizing recreation of a lost world.'

-Karan Mahajan

'A stunning debut novel. The Book of Everlasting Things is a powerful story of what we choose to remember and forget, of how history shapes us, and the endurance of love. It is a book that will touch your heart and overwhelm your senses, and stay with you long after you have read it.'

-Kavita Puri

'Spellbinding and lyrical, as richly layered as the scents that connect us to our deepest memories, The Book of Everlasting Things is a story about division, loss, and the love that transcends the boundaries of lifetimes. A magical read.'

-Jennifer Rosner