Whose Love Story by Tejash Shah Is Now on Kindle
She nearly died.
Sixteen days later, everyone who loves her gathers in one room to hear the whole story, from the very beginning.
That is how my new novel, Whose Love Story: Chitra, Karna, or Both, begins. Today I am sharing it with all of you, with a full heart and a little nervousness, the way every writer feels when a book leaves home.
What Is Whose Love Story About?
Karna stands at the window of a new sea-facing home. Behind him, his wife Chitra is recovering on the bed. Around them, their whole chosen family has gathered: friends who became brothers, sisters and parents over the years.
One by one, each of them tells their part of the story. How Karna and Chitra met. What they survived. What they never said to each other. Each version changes the one before it. And two people are still on their way, who will complete it.
Karna is an orphan who refuses money and charity for himself, never calls anyone mother, and forgives everyone. Chitra is a lawyer who spent years hiding herself after a painful childhood. He gives her a new name, Chitrangada, after the warrior princess of the Mahabharata who stopped hiding who she was.
It is a story about love, adoption, forgiveness and the family we choose. And it keeps asking the question in its title: whose love story is it, really?
Why I Wrote This Indian Love Story
This is my second novel, after Revenge, Sex, and Karma. It is also the most personal thing I have written.
Karna carries a little of me, and a little of the people I love. Some characters carry the names of real friends who changed my life. Every family has one story that each person tells differently, and I wanted to write that story honestly.
The first draft ran to about 800 pages. Over many months, I cut it down to what truly mattered. Then my early readers said they wanted more, so I went back and wrote one more chapter, about the grandfather, before the book went to print.
In between running companies and writing code, these characters stayed with me every day. Letting them go out into the world feels like sending a child to school for the first time.
A Family Drama Told Through Conversation
I wanted the book to feel like you are sitting in that room with the family.
So the story is told mostly through conversation. The narration stays plain. Feelings live in what people say, and in what they leave unsaid. There is no heavy description and no lecture, just people telling each other the truth, sometimes for the first time.
If you enjoy emotional stories with real family drama, I think you will find a part of your own family in it.
Play the Whose Love Story Games
Before you read the book, find out what kind of lover you are. These three free quizzes are inspired by the characters in the novel. Each takes about two minutes, with no sign-up.
- The Love Meter. Twelve questions that sort you into one of twelve results describing how you love. Play here: https://lovestory.tejash.me/love-meter.php
- Whose Love Story Are You? Twelve questions that match you with the character whose love is closest to yours: Karna, Chitra, Boss or Nirali. Play here: https://lovestory.tejash.me/whose-love-story-are-you.php
- The Love Audit. Twelve questions that reveal your love language, and whether you love with security, anxiety or distance. Play here: https://lovestory.tejash.me/love-audit.php
See all the games in one place: https://lovestory.tejash.me/games.php. Share your result in the comments, and tag the person who should take it next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the author of Whose Love Story? Tejash Shah. It is his second novel, after Revenge, Sex, and Karma. His other books include Why Meditate, Destiny vs Freewill, Karmajyotir and OMMNIVERSE.
What genre is Whose Love Story? Contemporary Indian fiction: a love story with family drama, told by the people who lived it.
Who are the main characters? Karna, an orphan who refuses charity and forgives everyone, and his wife Chitra, a lawyer he names Chitrangada. Around them is the chosen family who tells their story.
Is it connected to the Mahabharata? It is a modern story, not a retelling. The names Karna and Chitrangada, and some of its themes, are inspired by the Mahabharata.
Is the paperback available? The Kindle eBook is available on Amazon now. The paperback is coming soon.
Are there games or quizzes based on Whose Love Story? Yes. Three free love quizzes are inspired by the novel: The Love Meter, Whose Love Story Are You, and The Love Audit. All are at lovestory.tejash.me/games.php.
Where to Buy Whose Love Story
The Kindle eBook is live now. In its first days, with your love, it reached #1 in Indian Writing, Parenting & Relationships, and Religious & Inspirational Fiction on the Kindle Store in India, and #9 in the overall Kindle Store. I am truly grateful to every one of you who made that happen.
- Buy the Kindle eBook: https://link.amazon/B0ajg0dfk
- Explore the story: https://lovestory.tejash.me/
- Play The Love Meter: https://lovestory.tejash.me/love-meter.php
- Play Whose Love Story Are You: https://lovestory.tejash.me/whose-love-story-are-you.php
- Play The Love Audit: https://lovestory.tejash.me/love-audit.php
- Paperback: coming soon
If the story speaks to you, I humbly request you to read it. And if you do, please leave a short review on Amazon. It helps the book reach more readers than anything I could say.
And tell me your answer. Whose love story is it? Chitra’s, Karna’s, or both?
With gratitude,
Tejash Shah
