An overarching theme in the story is having and following aspirations.  Despite Bakhtiar and Pooja being of different religions, they loved each other and didn’t let this deter them from marriage. They raise their son with the freedom to find out who he really is and learn whatever he chooses to learn. When Satya returns to Bangladesh, a land of political unrest due to religion, he is more determined to make his dream a reality and create a self-supporting community.

I enjoyed the character development of Bakhtiar and Pooja in the story. Both Bakhtiar and Pooja are introduced together in their first meeting in the hotel lobby, and when they can’t stop thinking of each other, they find their way back to each other. Despite living in different cities and having different religious upbringings, they meld their cultures and families. They move to the United States to further their education and build a life together. The couple becomes the supporting force behind their son becoming a prodigy.

The setting in this book was intriguing. I was able to experience areas of India and Bangladesh through the descriptive scenes in the story.  Even in the opening scene, attention was paid to describing the hotel in which the main characters meet. Satya opens Shanti Kunja where his ancestors had once lived in Bangladesh, and the author describes the plants and surrounding area on which the community was built. I have never been to these countries but was able to visualize the setting based on the descriptive passages.

I enjoyed this story but sometimes found it a little hard to follow during the explanation of the political unrest in Bangladesh. There were many names and places that were unfamiliar to me. Despite this, I found the story interesting and couldn’t wait to find out what happened to everyone as time went on.