Namrata Patel Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Namrata Patel is a bestselling author of romance and contemporary fiction that is best known for her debut novel “The Candid Life of Meena Dave.”
The Indian American author makes her home in Boston and her novels explore the dual cultural identity and the diaspora of Indian Americans in the United States. She also examines aspects of families that we choose and those that we are born with.

Patel published “The Candid Life of Meena Dave” in 2022 and does not show signs of slowing down any time soon.

She has made her name writing novels with aspirational and relatable characters, with heroes ranging from a little flawed and swoon-worthy and the heroines ranging from kick-ass to quiet.

During the course of her life, she has gathered all manner of experiences as a lover of travel. From hiking the Scottish highlands to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, Namrata has also lived in a variety of places from New York City India, London, New Jersey, and Spokane.

Namrata has been writing for most of her life but it was during the pandemic that she was inspired to pen her debut novel. She was trying to deal with the pandemic and suddenly found herself all alone in lockdown.

Patel felt a strong urge to write about the meaning of community, which is something that she just could not resolve.

Before then, she defined community in terms of friends, family, identity, professional networks, and ethnicity. It was some kind of catch-all for the people in her life.

It was during the early days of lockdown that she spend in isolation that definition slowly started to change, as it became narrower.

What if a person felt isolated since they had a very literal and narrow definition of community. What would it take for such a person to realize that they could be invited into a community or build one and find a sense of belonging?

It was from these ruminations that Namrata Patel’s debut story was born. Her second novel “Scent of a Garden” was published in 2023.

“The Candid Life of Meena Dave” opens with a woman embarking on an unexpected journey into the past, as we explore family secrets, and identity, and rediscover the need to belong.

The lead is a nomad photojournalist named Meena Dave, who has no long-term attachments, no permanent address, and no family. She prefers to observe her world from the lens of a camera.

However, her solitary life is upended when out of the blue she is informed that she is the heir of a Back By Boston, Victorian apartment.

While her first impulse is to sell it and continue living as she had before, she decides to investigate the story of how she came to be the sole heir of a stranger’s apartment.

It is a compelling mystery that comes with a handsome neighbor next door, several middling Indian relatives, and a series of hidden clues.
For Meena, she finally has a chance to make new friendships and become immersed in culture and community like she never did before.

It also provides an interesting window into her past. She also needs to reconcile the identity of who she really is and who she wants to be with.