Gayatri Sarkar: 'The Wildflower of Assam' - Mitchelton Library

Author Gayatri Sarkar shares her debut novel 'The Wildflower of Assam' at Mitchelton Library, presented as part of Brisbane City Council's Lord Mayor's Writers in Residence series.

The book is a work of historical and women's fiction set in Assam between the 1950s and the early 1980s - a landscape of peaceful tea gardens and picturesque hills whose tranquillity is disturbed by clashes between locals and outsiders. Thirteen-year-old Shabana arrives in Assam with her family in search of a better life. It was not her decision to travel, but she has to accept everything it brings, and along the way she witnesses greed, fraud, lust, betrayal and motherhood. The saga follows women moving from one country to another, from singlehood to married life, from abject poverty to comfort and from tolerance to decisiveness, and confronts the impact of societal tension and domestic violence on their lives.

Gayatri was born and raised in India and now lives in Australia with her family. She is an Oxford graduate in Creative Writing with a keen interest in exploring social issues through her writing, and is drawn to the complexities of human relationships, memory and identity.

The session runs for one hour. Books will be available for purchase on the day, or bring your own copy from home to be signed. Entry is free, but a free ticket must be booked through Eventbrite.