“I began writing about her from a place of sympathy, and as she developed I began to see the depths of her complicity…” Arunima Tenzin Tara (Author- The Ex Daughters of Tolstoy House)
2 min read
Team Kitaab is in conversation with Arunima Tenzin Tara author of The Ex Daughters of Tolstoy House (Speaking Tiger, 2025) about her inspiration behind the book.
Arunima Tenzin Tara is a writer, filmmaker, and cook based in New Delhi. Her debut novel The Ex Daughters of Tolstoy House (Speaking Tiger, 2025) released recently.
About the Book
Meera appears to be living the perfect life. She has a good husband, Ambarish, and three obedient daughters, Sujata, Kavita and Naina. But Ambarish’s odd disappearances in the middle of the night and the salt he leaves scattered on the floor, all lead her to a dark secret. One that brings the past into the present, and threatens to consume her daughters’ lives.
Naina is used to following her father’s orders, it’s how her mother has raised her. So when he calls on her to wipe blood off a dead body, Naina obliges, after all, she has been doing this for nearly thirty years. But this time, the body is not a stranger. It’s her mother.
Forced to reckon with her own complicity in the act, Naina must navigate her family’s history, if only to provide the next generation with a better life.
In this brilliant debut, Arunima Tenzin Tara writes with the skill of a master storyteller, and the power of her prose turns this macabre novel of crime into a near-hypnotic study of evil that will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
Team Kitaab spoke to her about her inspiration behind the story and the writing journey.
