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A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK AND A BOOK CLUB PICK FOR LILLY SINGH’S LILLY’S LIBRARY
MOST ANTICIPATED IN FALL 2021 by TIME, The Washington Post, Bustle, Goodreads, and Debutiful • An Indie Next Pick • A Publishers Marketplace Buzz Book for Fall/Winter 2021 • Longlisted for the 2021 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize
In this thought-provoking and entertaining portrait of a multicultural family, a dying billionaire matriarch leaks the news of her death early so she can examine her legacy—a decision that inadvertently exposes secrets she spent a lifetime keeping.
Dava Shastri, one of the world’s wealthiest women, has always lived with her reputation in mind. When she is diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of seventy, she decides to take her death—like all the matters of her life—into her own hands.
Summoning her four adult children to her private island, she discloses shocking news: in addition to having a terminal illness, she has arranged for news of her death to break early so she can read her obituaries. As someone who dedicated her life to the arts and the empowerment of women, Dava expects to read articles lauding her philanthropic work. Instead, her “death” reveals two devastating secrets, truths she thought she had buried forever.
And now the whole world knows, including her children.
In the time she has left, Dava must come to terms with every decision that has led to this moment, and make peace with those closest to her before it’s too late.
Compassionately written and chock-full of humor and heart, this powerful novel examines public versus private legacy, the complexities of love, and the never-ending joys—and frustrations—of family.
Praise for DAVA SHASTRI’S LAST DAY
“A rich portrait of a family facing their powerful matriarch’s death, Dava Shastri’s Last Day is full of music, magnetism, and familial obligation. If Succession were about a multicultural family who actually loved each other, it might look like this.”—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of All Adults Here
“Kirthana Ramisetti has written a sweeping saga and also a poignant story about sacrifice and the exacting price of secrecy. Cinematic and intimate, Dava Shastri’s Last Day is an intricate story about family and love.”—Devi S. Laskar, author of The Atlas of Reds and Blues
“Dava Shastri’s Last Day is a story about ambition and greatness, wealth and family, full of secrets, love, and music, and those eternal pop song complements: heartbreak and hope. It’s a gripping, deeply satisfying story about one woman’s tremendous life—and the infinitely complicated ways we create our own legacies.”
—Kate Racculia, author of Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts and Bellweather Rhapsody
“Ramisetti beautifully weaves keen analysis of celebrity culture and a deep love of music into this perceptive, intergenerational story of resentment, trauma, love, and redemption. A page-turner with humor, heart, and lots of pop music.”—Jennifer Keishin Armstrong, New York Times bestselling author of Seinfeldia
“A hilarious and heartfelt narrative about legacy, power and privacy, all through the journey of a lively character who has limited time to make things right with the people she loves most.”—TIME
“Ramisetti draws nuanced characters who are introspective and entertaining. A solid debut that will appeal to readers who enjoy quirky family stories.”—Kirkus
“A thought-provoking family drama that will appeal to fans of All Adults Here by Emma Straub.”—Booklist