“This atmospheric and extremely poignant debut is beautifully told and heart-rending on many levels. Fans of Colin Cotterill’s Dr. Siri Paiboun and RV Raman’s Harith Athreya will make an ideal audience.”
— Jane Murphy, Booklist
The 86th Village
“Sena Desai Gopal’s sensitive eye for human frailties and the power of nature make THE 86TH VILLAGE a novel that is beautiful and suspenseful, haunting and socially relevant. I was spellbound by this moving and original mystery.”
—Sujata Massey, award-winning author of the Perveen Mistry and Rei Shimura mysteries
The 86th Village is now available for order and was released by Agora Books, an imprint of Polis Books, on April 12, 2022
“When an ancient farming village in India is threatened with destruction, the lives of its inhabitants are cast into turmoil. Gopal casts an unflinching eye on the many ways power can be corrupted and trust can be betrayed in this intricate, heartbreaking, and searing account of shattered lives. Despite the harsh reality informing The 86th Village, Gopal’s story pulsates with warmth and humanity: Love redeems and hope floats even while everything else might drown.”
—Sumi Hahn, The Mermaid from Jeju
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Sena Desai Gopal
SENA DESAI GOPAL is a journalist specializing in science and medicine, food, and travel. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, The Atlantic, Modern Farmer, and The Times of India, among others. Sena was born in Southern India, in a small village where her family has lived for eighteen generations—a village doomed to submerge as a result of The Upper Krishna Project—and she grew up on stories of its residents and of politics. She now lives in Boston with her family. Sena can be found at www.senadesaigopal.com, on Twitter @senadesaigopal, and on Instagram @senadesai
Photo by Teresa DiCesare Curtin
