{"product_id":"circa-a-novel-isbn-9780063268548","title":"Circa: A Novel","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFor fans of \u003cem\u003eThe Burning Girl\u003c\/em\u003e by Claire Messud and \u003cem\u003eBurnt Sugar\u003c\/em\u003e by Avni Doshi, a stunning, gut-punch of a novel that follows a young Indian American woman who, in the wake of tragedy, must navigate her family's expectations as she grapples with a complicated love and loss.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn the cusp of her eighteenth birthday, Heera and her best friends, siblings Marie and Marco, tease the fun out of life in Raleigh, North Carolina, with acts of rebellion and delinquency. They paint the town’s water towers with red anarchy symbols and hang out at the local bus station to pickpocket money for their Great Escape to New York. But no matter how much Heera defies her strict upbringing, she’s always avoided any real danger—until one devastating night changes everything.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn its wake, Marco reinvents himself as Crash and spends his days womanizing and burning through a string of jobs. Meanwhile, Heera’s dream to go to college in New York is suddenly upended. Over the years, Heera’s and Crash’s paths cross and recross on a journey of dreams, desires, jealousies, and betrayals.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHeart-wrenching, darkly funny, and buoyed by gorgeous prose, \u003cem\u003eCirca\u003c\/em\u003e is at once an irresistible love story and a portrait of a young woman torn between duty and her own survival, between obligation and freedom.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003e\"A subtle exploration of fate and free will\u003cem\u003e. \u003c\/em\u003eKeen as a seismologist, Devi S. Laskar traces the reverberations of a violent accident in the life of a young American-Bengali woman from her teen years straddling cultures in suburban North Carolina through her marriage in New York City. Lyrical and defiant, a beautiful and surprising work.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJanet Fitch, author of White Oleander and Chimes of a Lost Cathedral\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eCirca\u003c\/em\u003e tells beautifully of the confines of grief, the courage that love compels, and the friendship that is at the heart of every enduring relationship. Devi Laskar is a gem of a writer.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMegha Majumdar, author of A Burning\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“In this stunning follow-up to \u003cem\u003eThe Atlas of Reds and Blues, \u003c\/em\u003eDevi S. Laskar's \u003cem\u003eCirca\u003c\/em\u003e explores the bonds of friendship and the lifelong reverberations of its loss. As her complicated relationship with Crash frays in the wake of a shared tragedy, Heera presses up against the expectations not only of her family but of what it means to be a brown woman in America, raising her own camera to reverse its gaze. Lyrical, unflinching, and darkly funny, \u003cem\u003eCirca \u003c\/em\u003eshines with Laskar's signature luminous prose and unforgettable characters.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eZeyn Joukhadar, author of The Map of Salt and Stars\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“With precise and potent prose, Devi Laskar has crafted a sublime coming-of-age novel that explores how a tragedy alters the course of two young lives searching for absolution.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnjali Enjeti, author of The Parted Earth\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Here is a coming-of-age novel about family expectations and hyphenated identities, about what it means to grow up in an America that does not always want you, about having parents who don’t always want America, and the ripple effects of that ambivalence. This tender, emotionally wise story explores adolescence, loneliness, friendship, and love through an unforgettable protagonist. Heera stayed with me long after the final page. \u003cem\u003eCirca\u003c\/em\u003e is absorbing, candid, and beautifully told.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMaya Shanbhag Lang, author of What We Carry: A Memoir\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An engrossing story of a young woman figuring out the delicate balance of familial obligation while forging her own path, \u003cem\u003eCirca\u003c\/em\u003e is a shattering work of heartbreak, loss and resilience. If you start reading this novel, just know that you won't be able to put it down until the poignant, beautiful final page.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirthana Ramisetti, author of Dava Shastri's Last Day\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Laskar skillfully portrays the burden of loss and longing in lives defined by trauma.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An intense meditation on multigenerational grief and loss.... Laskar's slim narrative shrewdly belies fierce depth.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] luminous coming-of-age novel that centers family, friendship, grief and identity.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMs. Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Laskar delivers a poignant coming-of-age story of a Bengali American young woman …The author intertwines lyrical prose with lucid observations. This stands out as a fully realized study of contrasts.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[A] tight, insightful novel… By following Heera from high school to adulthood, the author teases out nuanced tensions…A heartbreaking examination of family ties.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Achingly exquisite.... Fierce and furious.... This emotionally resonant and whip-smart novel will stay with me for a long time.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eFredericksburg Free Lance-Star\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mariner Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44890414547173,"sku":"NP9780063268548","price":18.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780063268548.jpg?v=1730233233","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/circa-a-novel-isbn-9780063268548","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}