What would you do to keep a roof over your family and save your legacy from ruin?

A drought forces Basan to leave her village for the city, where she finds work breaking stones at a quarry. She meets Ior, a wealthy but reviled liquor seller with a checkered past.

In the Khasi hills of northeastern India, Christianity arrived 150 years ago, yet ancient tales of demons mingle with parables from the New Testament, influencing the choices of those who straddle the old world and the new.

In a culture where daughters inherit land and lineage, Basan fights to secure her family’s future even as Ior contends with the long shadows of her former days.

A novel of faith, friendship, and the small joys that sweeten the journey.

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I began writing Powerful Daughters in 2018. The character of Basan was inspired by my grandmother who was called “Kong San” by her siblings and friends. Basan embodies her strength and quiet faith and also has her little idiosyncrasies and imperfections.

Some parts of my story are based on memories from my childhood. For a time, we lived near a stone quarry and I never forgot the hardworking women who would sit and smash stones for a living with their hands bandaged, symbols of resilience, doing what it took to put food on the table.

I chose this title to honor Khasi women in villages and towns, working and and raising families, giving their children their name and clan. In a matrilineal society, men are also to be honored. In the book, there are strong women but good and faithful Khasi men as well, as I have tried to embody in Nidor, Memon, and Juman.