Sunlight On A Broken Column  (English, Paperback, Attia Hosain,)

For Laila, independence didn’t just mean the Indian independence. She had to be free in her own life and this would happen only if she fell in love with someone her family didn’t choose.

Summary of the Book

Laila had been brought up in an orthodox Muslim family all her life. Everyone in her grandfather's house wears a purdah. When she is fifteen, she is made to stay with her liberal uncle in Lucknow. It is the 1930s, and Laila finds herself in the midst of her relatives and friends from her university who are heavily involved in politics. The struggle for independence in India is at its peak, but Laila cannot find it in herself to commit to any cause, as she has her own independence that she needs to fight for first. It is important for her to get away from the strictly traditional life that she has been leading. Her only way to do this is to fall in love with a man that her family does not agree with. This novel will give readers an idea of the kind of life that many Muslim women lead and gives details of the political environment in the country.

About Attia Hosain

Attia Hosain was a writer, feminist and broadcaster who was born in Lucknow. She attended the local La Martiniere Girls' College and went to Lucknow University. The author won a gold medal for being the first woman from a Taluqdar family to graduate from the University of Lucknow.