One Hundred Shades of White [Paperback]

‘An absorbing novel about mothers, daughters, food and truth.’ Closer

‘A rich, evocative tale.’ Company

"A heart-warming read about families, forgiveness, carving futures and filtering truth." Guardian

‘A great read. Fast, funny and full of life’ Shyama Perera, author of I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet

‘A genuinely moving novel…like the bottled spices that play such a role in the story, this has all its ingredients in just the right quantities to spirit away all negative emotions.’ Daily Express

‘A luscious book, made lush with spices. Kindnesses and friendships abound, but so do hardships and hard knocks’ Oxford Times

‘She writes evocatively about childhood and there are passages of tight and lyrical immediacy…Moving description packs a powerful punch in this book about family, forgiveness and the power of truth.’ Guardian

‘A carefully woven tale that’s exceedingly good’ Company

‘A dynamic author.’ Good Housekeeping

‘A sensuous and poignant novel…enchanting.’ Sainsbury’s magazine

A genuinely moving novel

This book will have you praying for a delayed train

A warm hearted tale of survival

A magical mixture of East meets West, and mothers in conflict with daughters – for anyone who enjoyed ‘Bend it like Beckham’ but prefers food to football…

There's East. There's West. And then there's Maya…

Maya, her mother Nalini, and her brother Satchin have left a carefree life in India to come to England. But when Maya's father disappears, leaving only deceit and debt behind, they are left to fend for themselves in a strange, damp land.

Maya, though, doesn't know of her father's betrayal. Nalini, determined to preserve her children's pride, tells them that their father died in an accident and, as their struggle to make a life begins, whole realities are built on this lie. While Nalini cooks exotic pickles which enchant all who eat them, Maya begins to adapt to her new home – the unfamiliar food, the language, the music – and then to explore and make bold plans, plans that her mother does not understand.

But even a white lie cannot remain hidden forever – and when the truth resurfaces, it changes everything…

Preethi Nair was Winner of the Young Achiever of the Year at the Asian Women of Achievement Awards, 2001.
She was also shortlisted for Publicist of the Year at the PPC awards, following her audacious campaign for her self-published novel, GYPSY MASALA. Preethi created an alter ego and generated a huge amount of interest as Preu Menon, top promoter of first-time novelists --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

I gave up my job to write my first book Gypsy Masala. It was one of those bizarre moments when you don’t know why you’re doing something but know you have to do it. Literally, everything I had was invested in that book. The hard part was taking the leap of faith and doing what I had always wanted to do, I thought the rest would come easy. But nobody wanted to know and so after several rejections, I self published, created an alter ego and shamelessly began to hype Gypsy Masala myself. It sold over 2,000 copies in just one store and as everything began coming together (publicity and demand) something happened to stop me in my tracks. I watched as three years work evaporated into nothing.

In debt and exhausted, I went away and took stock. What I really wanted to do and what I have always wanted to do was to write. So I let go of everything and began this novel 100 Shades of White, not knowing what was going to happen. I look back now and I could not even have plotted what was to follow.

100 Shades of White was sold as part of a 3 book deal to Harper Collins and has been bought by the BBC for a television adaptation. Gypsy Masala will be reprinted and I have just completed book 3 – Beyond Indigo.

So I still maintain that dreams do come true…if you really want them to.

'"Maybe there are one hundred shades for explaining truth, a spectrum from light to dark. Things are not always clear cut, they are not either black or white, life just isn't like that."'

Satchin and Maya enjoy a carefree life in India with their mother Nalini, who concocts magical recipes with their grandmother. Unexpectedly their father Raul sends for them to join him in London where he is working. Having uprooted his wife and children, he ruthlessly abandons them leaving behind a trail of debt and deceit.

Left penniless in an alien culture, Nalini is determined to preserve her children's sense of self-worth and tells them that their father died in a fatal accident. As their fight for survival begins, whole realities are built on this one lie.

'One Hundred Shades of White' is a story about truth, unravelled through the mystical art of cooking. It is about telling a lie to save the vulnerable, only to have it resurface with unforeseen circumstances.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Preethi Nair was born in Southern India but raised in London, where she now lives. Following a career as a management consultant, she gave it all up to self-publish her first novel, GYPSY MASALA, which received tremendous publicity. She now writes full time.