A novel inspired by the death of a tree

Anita Rau Badami’s new novel, Asha in Her Garden, is her first in over a decade … and it all started with the striking image of a dying tree. On her seventieth birthday, Asha Mohan’s beloved backyard maple tree is cut down. As she watches it disappear, Asha begins to look differently at the life she’s spent years building. From her move to Canada from India, to the trials of raising her children to an act of violence that changed the family forever, Asha’s garden becomes a space for her to reflect on how she built her family and where she can go now. This week, Anita joins Mattea Roach to talk about the real tree that inspired the book, the maze of memory and a character called “The Hag.” 

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