The Book of Everlasting Things
India Pakistan

The Book of Everlasting Things

by Aanchal Malhotra

Love & Passion Historical Fiction 2022

Summary

Set in Lahore during the final years of British rule in India, The Book of Everlasting Things tells the story of Samir Vij, a Hindu perfumer, and Firdaus Khan, a Muslim calligrapher. Their shared appreciation for beauty, craftsmanship, and traditional arts develops into a deep love as they imagine a future together. However, the Partition of India in 1947 transforms their world, dividing communities and forcing them onto opposite sides of a newly created border. Samir becomes an Indian citizen, while Firdaus becomes Pakistani, making their relationship increasingly difficult to sustain. Spanning decades and continents, the novel explores the ways political upheaval reshapes private lives and cultural traditions. Through the evocative worlds of perfume-making and calligraphy, Malhotra examines love, memory, belonging, and the enduring power of art to preserve what history threatens to destroy.

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India
Asia
Pakistan
Asia
About the author
Aanchal Malhotra
Aanchal Malhotra

Aanchal Malhotra is an Indian writer, oral historian, and artist known for exploring the history and memory of the 1947 Partition of British India. Born in New Delhi, she co-founded the Museum of Material Memory, a digital archive documenting family histories through objects passed down across generations. Her work examines how ordinary possessions can preserve intimate memories of displacement, migration, and loss. Her debut book, Remnants of a Separation: A History of the Partition through Material Memory (2017), combines oral history with personal artefacts to document the experiences of people affected by Partition. Her first novel, In the Language of Remembering (2022), explores love, migration, and the lasting consequences of historical upheaval. Her second novel, The Book of Everlasting Things (2022), follows two childhood friends from Lahore whose lives are transformed by Partition, tracing their intertwined stories through the worlds of perfumery and calligraphy. Malhotra’s work highlights the emotional inheritance of history, showing how objects, stories, and sensory memories connect generations to places they have lost or left behind.

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Details
Published
2022
Author
Aanchal Malhotra