Little River’s Solitudes

When she settled in Little River on the island of Mauritius, Soledad left behind two important things from her past: Andalusia, in Southern Spain, and the ghost of her mother, Sheela.

Soledad, who was a successful author, lives in a beautiful house facing the ocean, and nothing means more to her than peace and quiet. Until her blissful routine is interrupted by Sanjay, the young and energetic son of the greengrocer across the street.

Sanjay burrows his way into Soledad’s solitude. A curious child, he is eager for stories, and so Soledad begins to recount the miraculous life of her mother, Sheela—her childhood in the Petite Rivière bazaar, her mystically beautiful singing voice, her time in Spain, her love for Soledad’s father Rodolfo… and her tragic end. But little by little, another story emerges: one of Rodolfo, of Sandhya, Sheela’s sister, of a family with a thousand talents and secrets.

A tale of escape and discovery, balancing sharp humor with profound insight, Little River’s Solitudes explores the invisible threads binding the living with the dead, forbidden loves, and how in the end it is our words which protect us from being forgotten.