From three decades of deeply sympathetic observation came the inspiration for these stories, in which the characters' beliefs are challenged as they interact with those outside their culture. British and American expatriates mingle with Indian friends, colleagues, and servants, and the stories follow the change, or failure to change, that results. Hari, a young Indian servant, hopes for his amiable British boss's help in escaping a prearranged wedding. An American embassy worker named Melanie becomes disillusioned when her married lover uses her to get a visa. At a Himalayan retreat, a wealthy group gathers to seek spiritual enlightenment, but their altruism is tested when they are asked to buy dowries for a poor Indian family.
Through witty dialogue and engaging scenes, Moynihan examines how both easterners and westerners struggle for dignity. Replete with humor and poignancy, Yoga Hotel is a stunning literary debut from a writer who understands the complexity and universality of human hopes, fears, and desires.
]]>A sparkling follow-up to her bestselling story collection Yoga Hotel, Covergirl introduces Veronica Ferris, the daughter of an imperious socialite and a kindly but absent diplomat. Fresh out of college, Veronica lands in Manhattan in pursuit of romance, disco, and rock 'n' roll—an arrival that threatens to usurp her mother's ambitious assault on New York high society. Maintaining her "double life" as a talented partygoer and a bearer of the esteemed Ferris family name is a high-wire act that requires far more cunning and restraint than young Veronica initially realizes.
One night, Veronica's rebellious charm attracts the attention of John Penn, an eccentric, celebrated artist, and her fame explodes when Penn makes her his new Page magazine covergirl. Catapulted into the celebrity-god realm, she has a secret affair with the white-hot rock star Davey Name—who is "lithe, mean, ruthless, utter perfection." But when they're exposed while shooting a music video in Paris, Veronica takes the advice of the deeply mysterious and deadly handsome Mr. Norbu, a Tibetan gem dealer, who invites her to Kathmandu to volunteer at his orphanage.
Back in Asia, the land of her "magical childhood," where she had lived during her father's diplomatic postings, Veronica befriends an old Tibetan refugee named Auntie Lhanzom, who has escaped to Nepal after years of imprisonment in a Chinese labor camp. When members of a Free Tibet group attempt to exploit Auntie Lhanzom as their own "covergirl" and all hell breaks loose as a result of a cultural misunderstanding, Veronica recognizes the parallels between her two worlds, and somehow finds her way home.
With its unforgettable heroine and wry, highly entertaining voice, Covergirl is at once a poignant coming-of-age tale, a delightful social satire, and a vibrant modern-day odyssey.
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