The Sari of Surya Vilas : Speaking Tiger Books : 9789386338099 : 9386338092 : 11 Jan 2017 : Allarmelu took out the sari that belonged to her mother, her mother's mother, and her mother before that. All she wanted now was not a long chain of dead mothers but her mother, alive. She breathed deep, hoping for a waft of her mother's musk. But this sari did not have the fragrance of sandalwood and frankincense mixed with turmeric. Her heart skipped a beat. [...] The sari on her lap was an imposter! 1909: Allarmelu is nine years old when her mother dies, leaving her in Surya Vilas, the family home, which has turned into a world of spinster aunts and men. When she discovers that her mother's wedding sari, an heirloom passed from mother to daughter, is missing, Allarmelu must track it down--without revealing that it was stolen by a family member. Tracing the sari sends her into a world never mentioned in genteel company, of exotic Russian dancers and unacknowledged mistresses. But puberty and