Where Earth Meets Water- Pia Padukone

Where Earth Meets Water Pia Padukone Mira, Apr 29 2014, $14.95 ISBN: 9780778315971 On 9/11, Karom was supposed to be in the Twin Towers when so many perished. In 2004, he was supposed to be with his family when the tsunami flooded the land and killed his loved ones. Filled with survivor guilt and a need to know why he escaped these monstrous deadly incidents, Karom becomes fixated over whether he possesses special karma with his obsession growing to a point where he needs to take risk to prove his invincibility. His upset girlfriend Gita and his concerned BFF Lloyd each worry about his health due to his increasingly agitated mental state frightening them. They persuade him to return to India seeking solace. In Delhi Karom meets Gita's grandmother Kamini who he initially writes off as a quack, but the elderly woman guides him while concealing her secrets from him. With a passive nod to the premise of the action thriller Unbreakable, Where Earth Meets Water is an enjoyable contemporary that looks closely at the defense mechanisms people deploy in order to psychologically cope with surviving a disaster. The four protagonists come across as genuine with Karom being the focus of concern by his two peers and the elderly Indian wanting to help. Although the transitions of this somewhat non-linear storyline are disruptive, readers who enjoy something brisk and unique will appreciate Pia Padukone’s poignant saga. Harriet Klausner