Six Days in Bombay

Born in India and raised in the U.S. since she was nine, Alka Joshi has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Joshi's debut novel, The Henna Artist,  immediately became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Bookclub pick, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, & is in development at Netflix as a TV series. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (2021) and The Perfumist of Paris (2023) completed the Jaipur Trilogy. Her fourth novel, Six Days in Bombay, will be released in February 2025. She is currently working on her fifth novel. In 2024, Joshi was selected for the Forbes 50 over 50 List, celebrating women who are shattering age and gender norms across all sectors of the American economy and culture.

"Six Days in Bombay is a sparkling travelogue and a poignant journey of self-discovery all in one. . . . Alka Joshi is simply the best!" —Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network and The Rose Code“Six Days in Bombay is more than a skillfully-told story of sudden friendship and mysterious death. It is the story of two women who embark on a journey to answer that thorny question: ‘What are you?’ Each straddling race, culture, and class, they search for belonging in a society that insists on clear definitions of identity and status. . . . Once again, Alka Joshi deftly slid my feet into the shoes of a protagonist of another time and place, and I was swept away.” —Susanne Pari, author of In the Time of Our History & The Fortune Catcher“Six Days in Bombay is a great adventure story.  Starting in India, then taking us through the crumbling world of Europe in the late 1930s, it’s both big and intimate, a large canvas for a detailed portrait.  Memorable, original, and thoroughly engaging, this is a tale of loss and learning and love.” —Karen Joy Fowler, New York Times bestselling author of We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves"Alka Joshi ushers readers into a world on the cusp of war, and an Indian empire on the edge of independence, both of which serve as a cleverly drawn and fitting backdrop for the story of a woman seeking answers about her own complicated identity . . . A compelling and richly textured tale of art, loss, identity, and independence, SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY shines." —Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau “Sweeping, propulsive, and wise, you won’t be able to put this one down.” —Margaret Wilkerson Sexton, New York Times bestselling author of The Revisionists“Six Days in Bombay is a stirring, thoroughly immersive read filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, transporting settings, an intriguing quest, and a beautiful homage to the enduring bonds that connect us. Riveting, resonant, and richly detailed, this is a must read!” —Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana“Six Days in Bombay is a riveting mystery that pulls us into the exciting world of the late 1930s,  where a young woman in search of her identity must leave the safe haven she knows in Bombay and travel to an increasingly dangerous Europe. Engaging, exhilarating, and hugely enjoyable.” —Chitra Divakaruni, Bestselling Author of Independence and The Last Queen