Set against a background of monsoons and heat waves, shanty towns and expensive bungalows, rich old women and angry young men, love and tradition, lives will change forever. As an only child, Simi a well born Hindu young woman grew up with comforts and certainties. Then suddenly, many things change. Her country is convulsed by the riots that have periodically gripped India since Britain’s abrupt withdrawal and the bloody Partition of 1947, tearing society apart along lines of religion, caste and community. To the horror of her grandmother and the outrage of their friends Simi falls deeply in love with Muslim doctor.‘Mohini Kent explores the effects of Partition and the social unrest, resentment, and religious conflicts in 1947 India. This is an important and provocative novel’ (Mark Tully) ‘Black Taj takes forbidden, unbiddable love, the staple of romantic fiction and uses it to tell a much deeper and terrible tale of communal hatred still burning and destroying lives and hopes in India today. We are carried away by the love story between two strong characters and also pulled down into the depths of hell by the author who wants us to know, to feel the agonies of a tragically divided land. The novel is both deeply pessimistic and highly optimistic’ (Yasmin AlibhaiBrown) ‘This is a beautifully realised story for the new Indian century’. (Andy Marino) ‘A riveting read set against an intricate tapestry of love and religion in postIndependence India’ (Anita Raghavan, author of, The Billionaire’s Apprentice ) ‘Mohini Kent’s novel sensitively explores the effects of the partition and the social unrest, resentment and religious conflict of 1947 India. She writes with care, honesty and commitment that this important subject deserves. This book is a valuable addition to the growing literature of the partition’ (Sudeep Sen, author) ‘A deeply moving and sensitively written novel exploring the intercommunal violence in India, a subject often ignored or poorly examined. It adds
