Night Heron

Night Heron tells the interleaved stories of a 21st century Bengali-American character, Pakhi, who goes on a non-quest that takes her to New York City, Berlin, and Bujumbura, and a 19th century Bengali character, Mrinalini, who lives in a joint family in the declining city of Lucknow in north India. Pakhi is a visual artist and Mrinalini is a writer. At the heart of the novel is Pakhi’s choice to leave her son. Mrinalini’s story is told through her notebooks, which Pakhi owns and refaces.

Meenakshi Chakraverti is a writer, anthropologist, and consultant in the fields of conflict resolution and leadership development. She lives in West Harlem, and has two grown daughters.