Heartlines

Sharmila Basu has curated the perfect life. He is the one variable she never planned for.

As an Indian American political journalist, Sharmila appears to be living the ultimate American Dream: a high-powered career, vintage wardrobe and a swanky home in the power corridors of Washington, DC. She lives with her boyfriend, America’s reigning heartthrob and favourite TV news anchor Lionel Stern. Even Lionel’s notoriously icy mother has welcomed her into the fold.

But for the daughter of an Indian Foreign Service attaché, who spent her childhood traversing the globe before finally settling in the US, predictable is a dangerous word and stability an illusion.

At a high-profile awards gala, Sharmila’s orderly world is upended by a chance encounter with a group of vibrant Indian Americans – specifically, Jake Thacker. A math savant turned tech mogul, Jake possesses a gravitational pull that Sharmila can’t ignore. Sparks fly. Lines blur. And suddenly, everything she has felt certain about feels negotiable.

As kismet begins to unravel her carefully constructed reality, a darker threat looms. Beneath Sharmila’s poised exterior lies a secret from her past, one that no longer intends to stay buried. When her past threatens to become national headlines, Sharmila must decide if she is willing to let her world implode to finally find her own truth.

From the gala circuits of DC and the quiet porches of Iowa City to the sun-drenched streets of San Sebastian in Spain, this is a love triangle unlike any other.