I Will Blossom Anyway A Novel

A romantic coming-of-age story about one woman’s inspiring journey to find self love, reconnect with family, and forge a new path for her future, from the author of the Good Morning America book club pick Dirty Laundry.

Durga is named after the Bengali goddess, pure of heart, filled with goodness. But the goddess has an alter-ego, fearless Kali, of fire and crackling with energy.

The third of four children born to a middle-class Calcutta family, quiet Durga is surprisingly the first to leave the nest of her loving, overbearing family. She is not as charming as her sister, Tia, as lighthearted as her brother, Arjun, or as clever as her youngest sister, Parul. But when she arrives in Ireland to work at a tech company, she finds that for the first time ever she is free—to have fun, to stay out, to sample everything that life has to offer. Suddenly, Durga can be whoever she wants to be. And she wants it all.

But freedom comes at a price. Durga falls in love with handsome, charismatic Jacob, and grows close with his sister, Joy, now Durga’s flatmate, and best friend. But when Jacob breaks up with Durga, she's unmoored. Who will she choose to be: fearless Kali or peace-loving Durga? Will she stay in Ireland with her newfound identity and livelihood, or will she return to India, where she is comfortable? Perhaps neither option is enough. Durga must summon her inner Kali, the brave and fearless warrior, and fight for the life she truly desires.

Modern, thought-provoking and mirthful, I Will Blossom Anyway is a story about what it means to be caught between opposing worlds, the pressures and freedoms of millennial life, and what it really means to be a modern woman today—anywhere.

Disha Bose is the author of Dirty Laundry, which was a Good Morning America Book Club pick and named one of the best books of the year by Harper’s Bazaar and Elle. She received a master’s in creative writing at University College Dublin, where she was mentored by Booker Prize winner Anne Enright. She has been shortlisted for the DNA Short Story Prize, and her poetry and short stories have appeared in The Incubator Journal, The Galway Review, Cultured Vultures, and Headstuff. Her travel pieces have appeared in The Economic Times of India and Coldnoon. Bose was born and raised in India and now lives in Ireland with her husband and daughter.