Relationships are achingly complex, even more so when it’s a father and his accidental love child.
Two strangers meet serendipitously. One is an irrepressible, mischievous brat and the other a brooding platitudinous bore. Their contrasting individual paths that portend a star-crossed disaster suddenly find a shared future. Fate brings them under the same roof, and soon, the insolent child’s wild, roller-coaster, mind-numbing life takes centre stage in a moody family’s wacky, dysfunctional abode. What follows is a fantastical journey, and that is putting it mildly.
Enter an unexpected visitor, and soon their lives are completely disarranged. The vicissitudes of life are on full display as the father-son duo confront a new reality. The family struggles to grapple with the new power dynamic as circumstances start spiralling beyond everyone’s control, with grievous consequences.
In this exceptional slice-of-life book, Sanjay Jha tells us a heart-rending account of love and loss, happiness and grief, regret and redemption. ‘Grief, once it checks in, is a permanent guest’, says the tiny protagonist. Is atonement and forgiveness at all possible, or is it just a desperate human urge for finding inner peace? Is time, eventually, the only true healer? Can we really move on?
In My Illegitimate Son, Sanjay Jha narrates a stirringly poignant story, which has both riotous laughter and abundant sorrow, that might just find an echo with your own.
Review
‘An unusual story about an unconventional relationship that is deeply moving and tender.’
—Shobhaa De
‘Louis, the incredible little hero with a big heart, recounts his action-packed life, teaching us some invaluable lessons along the way—of unconditional love and loyalty, the true meaning of friendship, and the power of forgiveness and acceptance. But most of all, Louis makes every day count as only he can—by tumbling in headlong and embracing each moment wholeheartedly.’
—Hemali Sodhi
About the Author
Sanjay Jha is a former National Spokesperson of the Congress party. He is also the bestselling author of The Great Unravelling: India after 2014 and The Superstar Syndrome: Making of a Champion. He is Executive Director, Dale Carnegie. Jha is a regular contributor as a political analyst in mainstream media and digital platforms. He lives in Mumbai with his wife, two daughters and some dogs.
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