New Book Announcement: “The Scent of Frangipani” by Anjana Rai Chaudhuri

The Scent of Frangipani, Anjana Rai Chaudhuri (Dollarbird / Monsoon Books. November 2019)
The Scent of Frangipani, Anjana Rai Chaudhuri (Dollarbird / Monsoon Books. November 2019)

It is 1931 in colonial Singapore. A Chinese bondmaid of fifteen stands trial for her aunt’s murder. Mei Mei, born on the inauspicious double seventh day, feels her doomed destiny taking over.

But her fate is changed—the tide turns, and Mei Mei meets English boy, Richard. They fall in love, although their love is forbidden and frowned upon. When British-born Clementine sets her heart on marrying Richard; she has the social connections and ‘breeding’ that makes her the perfect ‘match’ for Richard, Mei Mei is made to understand that she must forget him and their love.

Skip forward to 1942. The Second World War is in full force and Japanese bombs are falling over Singapore. Richard rekindles his desperate romance with Mei Mei to the horror of Clementine who is used to getting everything she wants. To what lengths will Clementine go to separate the lovers? When Mei Mei disappears in a bombing and Richard is injured and loses his memory, what will happen to the star-crossed lovers and will Clementine relinquish her claim to his heart?

 

The Scent of Frangipani by Anjana Rai Chaudhuri
Dollarbird / Monsoon Books, November 2019 (ISBN 9781912049547)