Aanchal Malhotra

On a January morning in 1938, Samir Vij first locks eyes with Firdaus Khan through the rows of perfume bottles in his family’s ittar shop in Lahore. Over the years that follow, the perfumer’s apprentice and calligrapher’s apprentice fall in love with their ancient crafts and with each other, dreaming of the life they will one day share. But as the struggle for Indian independence gathers force, their beloved city is ravaged by Partition. Suddenly, they find themselves on opposite sides: Samir, a Hindu, becomes Indian and Firdaus, a Muslim, becomes Pakistani, their love now forbidden. Severed from one another, Samir and Firdaus make a series of fateful decisions that will change the course of their lives forever. As their paths spiral away from each other, they must each decide how much of the past they are willing to let go, and what it will cost them. Lush, sensuous, and deeply romantic, The Book of Everlasting Things is the story of two lovers and two nations, split apart by forces beyond their control, yet bound by love and memory. 

'Mesmerizing. . . At the heart of Malhotra’s sweeping debut novel is an indelible love story . . .A transcendent study of the blurring of personal and political, as ordinary people deal with catastrophic historical events.' 
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)

'A long and luxurious tale of love, loss, memory, and place, told against a backdrop of tumultuous historical events. . . It will be difficult indeed to forget this exquisite story.' — Library Journal (starred review)

'A majestic, evocative exploration of the persistence of memory and the human connections that transcend even death.' — Booklist (starred review)

'Monumental. . .Malhotra’s detailed world-building gives the narrative sensory layers and textured depths. Moving from the early 1900s to the present day, she explores how Partition continues to be a living, breathing catastrophe and how the violence and trauma have been inherited by later generations, no matter where they live now.' — Jenny Bhatt, NPR

'The Book of Everlasting Things is a book to stroll through and indulge in; a sensory paradise basking in the sound of words, the smell of a childhood memory, the alluring hook of a nose or a letter. It’s an ode to passion, from handicraft to the first and deepest love. . . At all turns [it] is deeply human, with careful attention paid to both factual and emotional accuracy.'— Donna Edwards, Associated Press

'Malhotra’s prose is sensuous and rich, and the ease with which she conjures a world that no longer exists is impressive. . . The novel is, above all else, a meditation on memory, the preservation of intimate history, loss, and love. A quiet and moving portrait of eternal love and remembrance.' — Kirkus Reviews

'Aanchal Malhotra’s debut novel, The Book of Everlasting Things, operates in this incredibly precarious liminal space — between belonging and becoming. Told in five parts, the book navigates century-long timelines alongside expansive and ever-changing topographies, charting the history of some of the most turbulent times of our world’s past. . .Its vastness had me stunned.' — Nidhi Verma, Platform Magazine

'A dazzling, immersive literary debut.' — Janet Somerville, Now Toronto

'Malhotra’s mastery lies in her ability to cut through the shroud of political debate, and get to to the core of the human heart.'— Avantika Shankar, The Hindu

'The author's writing has always been a treat for the senses and this extends to her fictional world-building. . . The Book of Everlasting Things is a beautifully visceral reminder that there were no sides in the partition, that there are many voices and perspectives that shape our memories'— Darshita Goyal, Vogue India 

'Malhotra writes beautifully, and patient readers will be immersed in a bygone world of kaleidoscopic scenes and fervid emotions. She puts her training as an oral historian to good use, bringing the past to life' 
— Murali Kamma, New York Journal of Books

'A tactile delight. . . Malhotra is at her best when she curates history.' — Sreya Sarkar, India Today

'The Book of Everlasting Things is above all an accomplished historian’s novel. Its greatest strength is its intricate and well-researched historical backdrop. . . a significant debut.' — Tabish Khair, Frontline Magazine 

'Masterful. . . The Book of Everlasting Things is a novel about remembrance and memory as much as it is about Partition.' — Farooq Chaudhry, Chicago Review of Books

'It is the need to belong that almost all characters [in The Book of Everlasting Things] are seeking, whether it is in a land, or with a person or an object. If Malhotra’s aim was to make her readers think, and aspire for a better world, she has achieved that.' — Rahul Singh, The New Indian Express

'Magical, illuminating, and thought-provoking! There is true love, longing, loss, and healing inside The Book of Everlasting Things. Malhotra writes with the power of a novelist who is the master of her craft.'
—Nguyen Phan Que Mai, author of The Mountains Sing

'Tender, compassionate, extravagantly inventive. A family epic that tells the spiritual biography of a nation. The research that went into this novel is visible on every page, and I am full of admiration for its attentiveness to the infinite minutiae of love'
— Jeet Thayil, author of Narcopolis

'At once sweeping and intimate. With gorgeous prose and careful research, Malhotra brings to life a world rich with Indian perfumery, Urdu calligraphy, and a romance that defies time and space. A stunning book that reminds you of what it is to fall in love.'
—Jenny Tinghui Zhang, author of Four Treasures of the Sky

'The Book of Everlasting Things is a novel to be savored for its details, for the texture of lived life in Lahore before partition, for its evocations of characters and their artistic sensibilities. This is a mesmerizing recreation of a lost world.'
—Karan Mahajan, author of The Association of Small Bombs

'An immersive delight, The Book of Everlasting Things enlivens history and the senses equally. Utterly transporting, it evokes with charm and precision a bygone era, bursting from these pages with restored beauty. The book traverses more than a century with astonishing grace. Aanchal Malhotra has proven herself a detail driven researcher and an empathetic historian, but this, her gorgeous, cinematic debut novel, stamps her place as a sublime storyteller.'
— Karuna Ezara Parikh, author of The Heart Asks Pleasure First 

 'A stunning debut novel. The Book of Everlasting Things is a powerful story of what we choose to remember and forget, of how history shapes us, and the endurance of love. It is a book that will touch your heart and overwhelm your senses, and stay with you long after you have read it.'
— Kavita Puri, author of Partition Voices

'Spanning generations and continents, Malhotra’s debut is both thought-provoking and deliciously romantic. The Book of Everlasting Things will awaken your senses and leave you captivated until the last page.'
—Lara Prescott, author of The Secrets We Kept

'Spellbinding and lyrical, as richly layered as the scents that connect us to our deepest memories, The Book of Everlasting Things is a story about division, loss, and the love that transcends the boundaries of lifetimes. A magical read.'
—Jennifer Rosner, author of The Yellow Bird Sings and Once We Were Home