Chocolate Cherry Chai - Paperback

by Taslim Burkowicz (Author)

Young, free-spirited Maya Mubeen leaves behind the pressures of family, marriage and tradition for a life of experience and adventure -- proving to herself, and her mother, that she is anything but a typical Indian girl. After diving with sharks in the Philippines and a sordid breakup amidst the bustling nightlife of Tokyo, Maya's sense of who she is -- and where home is -- starts to falter.
An ancient chai-making ritual holds the key to Maya's past and present, unlocking the secret lives of her mother, Nina, who lived through Idi Amin's rule in Uganda, her grandmother, Nargis, forced into marriage at thirteen, her great-grandmother, Sukaina, an underground radical socialist who fled an abusive husband, and lastly, her great-great grandmother, Zainab, who left behind a luxurious life in India.
Traversing the globe and historical eras, Taslim Burkowicz's debut Chocolate Cherry Chai binds together themes of familial pressures, the immigrant experience, motherhood, love and loss into a poetic narrative.

Author Biography

Taslim Burkowicz's work is inspired both by her Indo-Canadian heritage, as well as her global travels and experiences. Her first novel, Chocolate Cherry Chai, was listed on CBC Books' 2017 Fall Preview list. She has a bachelor's degree in political science and education from Simon Fraser University. Taslim resides with her husband and three boys in Surrey, B.C., where she focuses on writing, running and dancing.