At the heart of the novel is the issue of the unexpected inheritance of an ancestral mansion in Kolkata by Lila De, the protagonist. With the arrival of Lila from Brooklyn to stake her claim begins the exploring of human emotions and actions within the microcosm of Lahiri family, a family that clings to age-old customs and traditions whilst accommodating Western etiquette and modernness.

The story unfolds over several pages, revealing the expectations, the squabbles, the sophistication that camouflages the hurt, the anger, the ugliness and the conspiracy of the so-called 'dispossessed'.

The characters come alive with their uniqueness, their foibles and follies. The narrator captures the tension and the conflict between a mother and daughter as also those rare moments when three generations sit together to roll nutty coconut narus, sharing a fleeting moment of togetherness.

The first person narration occasionally alternating with a third person omniscient point of view meanders through the ceremonies, parties, the tussles and halcyon moments in relationships till it rises to a horrifying climax.

Nayantara Ray's language, simple but vivid and evocative, does justice to the portrayal of scarred minds, of relationships turned rancid as also the joy and laughter, the trauma and tragedy in a Bengali household. The narrator's interpretation of the socio-cultural ethos and the political scenario in the then India and the West colours her perspective on life in Brooklyn and her experiences in Kolkata.

The novel is well structured affording a catharsis of the violent emotions it churns up, leaving the readers craving for an equilibrium.

Is our wish granted?

Well, Nayantara Ray's The Magnificent Ruins needs to be read to figure out the answer.