Rabia is growing up in a conservative family in Tamil Nadu. She is subject to all the restrictions that young girls in conservative families experience, and looking forward, with some nervous excitement, to all the changes that puberty may bring to her life.

She does what all teens do—sneaks off to see a movie with friends, plays till the cows come home, and shares everything with her best friend, Mathina. Except the news of her Firdaus Chitti’s failed marriage. But the family is already gearing up for another wedding. Rabia doesn’t like the man chosen for Wahida Akka, though she dares not say a word.

When people talk to her about one of the boys, Ahmad, as her chosen one, she is overcome by confusion. Does this mean she’ll have to confine herself to her home now? Amid all this, a family secret is unearthed, threatening to undo them all.

Will Rabia be able to complete her education? Will the joint family survive the pressures of the world? Will patriarchy be unyielding even when men going out of town and country change their lifestyles and partners with ease? In this masterful translation of Salma’s first novel, Irandaam Jaamangalin Kathai (2006) the author weaves together the story of Rabia, her friends, and her cousin, Wahida, in a world dominated by men, fighting their rebellions, making compromises, finding friendships and love, and living with the dull ache of desire.