“A gripping, epic tale of unrequited love and discovering yourself…”

THE STORYTELLER’S SECRET

Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, USA Today, Amazon Bestselling Author & Goodreads Best Fiction Finalist

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The Storyteller’s Secret

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The Storyteller’s Secret is an epic story of the unrelenting force of love, the power of healing, and the invincible desire to dream. Nothing prepares Jaya, a New York journalist, for the heartbreak of her third miscarriage and the slow unraveling of her marriage in its wake. Desperate to assuage her deep anguish, she decides to go to India to uncover answers to her family’s past. Intoxicated by the sights, smells, and sounds she experiences, Jaya becomes an eager student of the culture.

But it is Ravi—her grandmother’s former servant and trusted confidant—who reveals the resilience, struggles, secret love, and tragic fall of Jaya’s pioneering grandmother during the British occupation. Through her courageous grandmother’s arrestingly romantic and heart-wrenching story, Jaya discovers the legacy bequeathed to her and a strength that, until now, she never knew was possible.

Invite Sejal To Join Your Book Club Discussion

Delve into The Storyteller’s Secret with Sejal Badani herself. Invite Sejal to your next book club meeting for a personal, author-led discussion that explores the rich themes, emotional depth, and cultural insights of this unforgettable novel. Engage in a meaningful conversation about the power of storytelling, resilience, and the legacy of love across generations.


Book Club Discussion Questions

Praise for The Storyteller’s Secret

A wonderful reflection of the complex, unpredictable, sometimes insufferable, yet in the end, joyous and divine adventure that is life lived with friends, loved ones, and fellow sojourners.
Badani weaves a tale of loyalty, love, sacrifice, and betrayal that leaves you breathless with emotion. She plucks at every heartstring as she slowly reveals the devastating truths to the secrets that have bound this family together for decades.
This book changed me, and the way I view friendship. True friendship is unwavering and knows no boundaries. Reading it has been a gift beyond measure.
While reading this book, tears fell and smiles found their way to my lips.
Writing is captivating. Descriptions are rich with evocative details. I was carried along by the storyline to its compelling revelations.

Excerpt from

The Storyteller’s Secret

What if we all stood equal in one another’s eyes and felt pride at our reflection? I speak of utopia and chance being ridiculed, but sitting in a village thousands of miles from everything, I will roll the dice. For one day only, maybe we could put aside our differences and come together in our sameness. For one day, we could see that past all the variations, we are all the same with similar hopes, dreams, fears, strengths, and weaknesses. For one day, we could stand together, not apart, and treat others as we would hope to be treated. History teaches us that day will never come. Our differences give us purpose—both good and bad. Some see it as an opportunity to strive for what they aren’t, while others take it to belittle those who frighten us. In the vein of my earlier appreciation for dancing, I would imagine a world where music defines us. The fall and rise of the tempo would dictate our moves, and our hearts and minds would sway to the beat. Each person would have a place on the stage, and every voice would be heard. The melodies would bridge our differences while celebrating our similarities. And at the end, we would be better for having danced together. With age come wisdom and the knowledge that we can’t dance through our lives. But I hope I can find a way where my labels of daughter, reporter, wife, and now soon to be divorcée don’t define me. Instead, every new person will represent the chance to grow, and I will feel no shame in taking the first step. With humility may I reap my own power, and at the end of the journey, I hope I learn when to stand small so others can feel tall.

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