Rebirth  (English, Paperback, Barua Jahnavi)

Set in contemporary urban India, Rebirth: A Novel presents the story of Kaberi, as she navigates a highly turbulent life filled with extremes of love and loss.

Summary Of The Book

Kaberi, a young pregnant woman, is coming to terms with the unfaithfulness of her husband and is standing on the threshold of a failed marriage. As she grapples with the bitterness of betrayal and loss, she has no one to look to for support. Touchingly, it is her unborn child that offers her much-needed solace from beyond the womb.

In the most disturbing moments of her life, Kaberi’s passionate bond with her child presents her with an outlet to share her innermost thoughts and feelings. Slowly and surely, she manages to find the courage to keep living one more day.

Kaberi’s troubles are compounded when she is forced to face the death of a childhood friend. Amidst all these tumultuous events, her troubled relationship with her parents weighs her down further. There seems to no solution for Kaberi’s plight. But, the healing power of love and the guiding power of the self can neither be denied nor be underestimated. So, there might be hope for Kaberi after all.

The narrative shifts back and forth between the urban landscapes of Bangalore and Assam. It lays bare the complexities of Kaberi’s inner and outer lives in stark detail.

Rebirth was first published in 2010 by Penguin India. It received highly positive reviews for the author’s honest narrative and deeply sensitive style of writing. It was also longlisted for the Man Asian Literary Prize 2011 for Fiction. This edition of the book is a 2011 reprint by Penguin Books.

About Jahnavi Barua

Jahnavi Barua is an Indian author and doctor.

As of October 2012, she has three books to her credit, Next Door, Rebirth, and A Boy Who Lost His Voice.

Barua is from Assam, India. She studied creative writing in the United Kingdom and is currently based in Bangalore.