About the Book

"The magic of Paris was surrounding me from all sides, like a thin vapour, entering my pores, like a flavour, like a drug, like a sticky string of gossamer, impossible to detach." Young Mehjabeen’s stay in Montmartre, Paris, is an exploration of different worlds, without and within. The Paris that she discovers is not a utopia of Love and Art alone. It’s also a city simmering with ethnic conflict. Mehjabeen is in search of her roots, and unknowingly she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery as she attempts to understand art, love, the notion of freedom, and more.

On the one hand, there’s the world of soirées, champagne and luxury and on the other is the world of Agnès Desmoulins, her mentally challenged son Dodi and the Guatemalan refugee Marina. Mehjabeen straddles these two very different worlds, and her myriad experiences find their way into her canvas.

About the Author

Novelist, playwright and children’s writer, Mariam Karim was born in Lucknow and educated at JNU, New Delhi, and the Sorbonne in Paris. A teacher of French language and literature, she has travelled widely and brings the flavour of her travels both within the country and outside, into her writing. Her books and plays have been nominated for International and Indian awards. She writes for children under the name Mariam Karim-Ahlawat. She lives in Delhi