SIRENS OF MEMORY

Like Not Without My Daughter, Puja balances brutality against humanity, fear against loyalty, risk against love.

Mariam is pregnant and fleeing a severely abusive marriage as the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait begins. Leaving her husband for dead, she crosses the border and is evacuated with the help of Raj, using the identity of his dead wife so that she can be issued Indian papers. Together they begin to build a new life, with Raj raising Mariam's daughter Aliya as his own. Twenty-five years later, Mariam is still living under the identity of Raj's Indian wife in the US. In an attempt to put her past to rest, she attends an event commemorating the anniversary of the invasion at the Kuwaiti embassy, where she is spotted by a miraculously still-alive Tareq, who had believed her to have been killed in the invasion. Angry and obsessed, he begins planning his revenge. The confrontation that follows allows Mariam to make peace with her old, debilitating identity as a victim once and for all. The story is grounded by the author's real experiences in Kuwait, featuring a strong female protagonist and diverse well-developed supporting characters. SIRENS OF MEMORY explores the extent to which psychological turmoil can impact our everyday life. For Mariam, her suppressed memories essentially turn her into a stalker of her own making. As she finally confronts these parts of herself, she shows both the vulnerability and strength required to overcome such trauma. Born into a family of acclaimed Indian architects, Puja Guha traveled with her parents as they worked on projects around the world. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Puja completed her Master's degree in public policy at Sciences Po and the London School of Economics. Today, she works as an independent consultant on international development programs - primarily in Africa and South Asia - traveling to some of the most economically-challenged countries in the world. She is also the author of the Ahirman Legacy series. Puja has lived in Kuwait, Toronto, Paris, London, and several American cities including New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, and San Francisco. She currently resides in the Denver area. Find her online at: pujaguha.com and on Twitter @GuhaPuja