In this novel the author draws back the curtains on a deeply felt and ongoing tradition. Through the eyes of the main character, Geeta, she goes behind the scenes into a way of life that has long been shrouded in mystery. When Geeta, an educated, outgoing young woman from Bombay, marries into a staunchly traditional family, she suddenly finds herself forced to live in purdah in her husband's ancient home, the haveli. Unable to escape from the conservative customs that now define her life, she struggles to hold on to the modern values she has grown to cherish. Can she discover new meaning and dignity in what at first seems to her a strange and stultifying existence?

This Indian novel takes the reader behind the scenes of an ongoing, deeply rooted tradition and into a way of life that for outsiders has long been veiled with mystery.

The world of Newbery Honor Book Shabanu is vividly re-created in this novel of a young Pakistani woman's heartbreaking struggle against the tyranny of custom and ancient law. Shabanu, now a mother at 18, faces daily challenges to her position in her husband's household, even as she plans for her young daughter's education and uncertain future. Then, during a visit to the haveli, their home in the city of Lahore, Shabanu falls in love with Omar, in spite of traditions that forbid their union.

The Newbery Honor winner about a heroic Pakistani girl that The Boston Globe called “Remarkable . . . a riveting tour de force.” Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she’s been allowed freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she’s dreamed of. Should she do what is necessary to uphold her family’s honor—or listen to the stirrings of her own heart? A New York Times Notable Book “Staples has accomplished a small miracle in her touching and powerful story.” —The New York Times

Indian Mansions follows the course of a day in the life of a haveli, expanding specific events to examine wider patterns of life, and combining individual observations with the historical background. The book draws on written accounts, from the diary of the Mughal Emperor Babur to the reminiscences of those who worked for the British East India Company, and it is brought up to date by the author s first-hand interviews with those who live in the havelis today.

Suzanne Fisher Staples returns to modern-day Pakistan to reexamine the juxtaposition of traditional Islamic values with modern ideals of love, in this commanding standalone sequel to Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind and Haveli. It has been ten years since Shabanu staged her death to secure the safety of her daughter, Mumtaz, from her husband's murderous brother. Mumtaz has been raised by her father's family with the education and security her mother desired for her, but with little understanding and love. Only her American cousin Jameel, her closest confidant and friend, and the beloved family patriarch, Baba, understand the pain of her loneliness. When Baba unexpectedly dies, Jameel's succession as the Amirzai tribal leader and the arrangement of his marriage to Mumtaz are revealed, causing both to question whether fulfilling their duty to the family is worth giving up their dreams for the future. The House of Djinn is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Contributed articles on a novel by Rama Mehta based on the culture and traditions of Rajasthan, India with special reference to women.