Inspired by a true story.
She followed her heart across the sea. The world she found would change her forever. Leaving Britain for India in the late 1930s, Eluned believes love will be her compass through an unfamiliar land. But the dream shatters the moment she arrives, forcing her to summon the courage to begin again. From the crowded streets of Calcutta to the outposts of Palwal, Delhi, she forges a new life in a world both dazzling and divided.
As war looms and the Empire begins to crumble, Eluned discovers that hope, love and friendship can bloom even in the dust of heartbreak. From Calcutta to Palwal, across oceans and years, The Colour of Dust and Sunlight is a sweeping story of love, loss and the quiet bravery it takes to start anew.
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Where a family story became a novel -
The Colour of
Dust and Sunlight
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Author's Note
I’ve always been aware of and quietly fascinated by my grandparents’ story and my family’s life in India on my mum’s side. As a child I played with my grandparents’ Indian carrom board, tried on the jewellery they had brought back and grew up surrounded by pieces of furniture that had made the journey from India to England with them. At the time, these were just part of the background of my childhood. Sadly, I was too young to truly understand their significance or to ask the questions I now wish I had. Years later, after getting into family history and ancestry research and seeing photographs of that world for the first time, I became completely absorbed. I needed to know more. That curiosity became the starting point for this book, which I originally intended only as a private gift for my mum. But as more people read it and asked to see it, I realised the story might be liked by a wider audience. I’m deeply proud of my family heritage, and this book is just the beginning of a journey I intend to keep digging into.