The Parted Earth

Written by Anjali Enjeti

Narrated by Deepti Gupta

Spanning more than half a century and cities from New Delhi to Atlanta, Anjali Enjeti’s debut is a heartfelt and human portrait of the long shadow of the Partition of the Indian subcontinent on the lives of three generations.

The story begins in August 1947. Unrest plagues the streets of New Delhi leading up to the birth of the Muslim majority nation of Pakistan, and the Hindu majority nation of India. Sixteen-year-old Deepa navigates the changing politics of her home, finding solace in messages of intricate origami from her secret boyfriend Amir. Soon Amir flees with his family to Pakistan and a tragedy forces Deepa to leave the subcontinent forever.

The story also begins nearly seven decades later and half a world away, in Atlanta. While grieving both a pregnancy loss and the implosion of her marriage, Deepa’s granddaughter Shan begins the search for her estranged grandmother, a prickly woman who had no interest in knowing her. When she begins to piece together her family history shattered by the Partition, Shan discovers how little she actually knows about her ancestors and what they endured.

For readers of Jess Walter’s Beautiful Ruins and Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko, The Parted Earth follows characters on their search for identity after loss uproots their lives. Above all, it is a novel about families weathering the lasting violence of separation, and how it can often take a lifetime to find unity and peace. Beautifully performed by Audie nominated Deepti Gupta.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Novel Audio
• Release date: May 4, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662179334

Anjali Enjeti

ANJALI ENJETI is an award-winning essayist, journalist, and author of debut novel The Parted Earth. Her work has appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Al Jazeera, Boston Globe, Washington Post, and other venues. She teaches creative writing in the MFA program at Reinhardt University and lives with her family near Atlanta.

Reviews for The Parted Earth

[Dayna Bennett · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Authors note should be at beginning of the audiobook - there are triggers (miscarriage, violent oppression and suicide) but in spite of those things this is a hopeful story. It’s a beautifully written, tragic tale about true events. What I loved most is the vibrant women who come together to heal and grow together, and the art that they cultivate along the way. Wonderfully done.