By the light of dawn, over steaming cups of tea, a daughter invokes the past and a mother opens her heart. Mumbai Mornings is centered mostly on conversations between Saya and her mother. As her mother’s stories about relatives long relegated to memory, unfold, it soon becomes clear to Saya that no life is ordinary. Etched in grim reality, touched with compassion, Mumbai Mornings moves seamlessly from present to past, casting an unsparing eye on the frailties and foibles of fathers and daughters, sons and lovers. In the end, this is a book about vulnerable, ambitious men and women striving for beauty and longing for redemption.