Meet Alka Joshi Author of Six Days in Bombay (and The Henna Artist)

Schedule

Thu May 22 2025 at 07:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-07:00

Location

BookShop West Portal | San Francisco, CA

Advertisement
Meet the author and celebrate the release of her brand new standalone novel Six Days in Bombay at Bookshop West Portal!
About this Event

This event is free to attend. Seating is first come, first served.

Meet the author, find out about a terrific new book, ask questions and hear directly from the author, and get personalized signed books!


Bookshop West Portal welcomes the return of historical fiction mastermind Alka Joshi for her new standalone novel Six Days in Bombay! Don't miss out on this brand new plot from the author of The Henna Artist. Join us for an evening of conversation with Alka Joshi and local novelist Ritu Mukerji, author of M**der by Degrees.

You don't need to have read the book to enjoy the event! We do recommend reserving your copy ahead of time:


From the New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist, this sweeping novel of identity and self-discovery takes readers from Bombay to Prague, Florence, Paris and London, to uncover the mystery behind a famous painter's death.
When renowned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she's expected to make a quick recovery, and her nurse, Sona, is excited to learn more about the vivacious artist who shares her half-Indian identity. Sona, yearning for a larger life, finds herself carried away by Mira's stories of her travels and exploits and is shocked by accounts of the many lovers the painter has left scattered throughout Europe. When Mira dies quite suddenly and mysteriously, Sona falls under suspicion, and her quiet life is upended.
The key to proving Sona's innocence may lie in a cryptic note and four paintings Mira left in her care, sending the young woman on a mission to visit the painter's former friends and lovers across a tumultuous Europe teetering toward war. On the precipice of discovering her own identity, Sona learns that the painter's charming facade hid a far more complicated, troubled soul.
In her first stand-alone novel since her bestselling debut, The Henna Artist, Alka Joshi uses the life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil, the "Frida Kahlo of India," as inspiration for the story's beginning to explore how far we'll travel to determine where we truly belong.

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, , 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.


Ritu Mukerji was born in Kolkata, India, and raised in the San Francisco Bay area. From a young age, she has been an avid reader of mysteries, from Golden Age crime fiction to police procedurals and the novels of PD James and Ruth Rendell. She received a BA in history from Columbia University and a medical degree from Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She completed residency training at the University of California, Davis and has been a practicing internist for fifteen years. She lives in Marin County, California, with her husband and three children. is her debut novel. Stay tuned for the follow up!

Advertisement

Where is it happening?

BookShop West Portal, 80 West Portal Avenue, San Francisco, United States

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Tickets

USD 0.00

BookShop West Portal

Host or Publisher BookShop West Portal

It's more fun with friends. Share with friends

Discover More Events in San Francisco

Shaping Character: Drawing, Writing & Embodied Exploration
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 05:30 pm Shaping Character: Drawing, Writing & Embodied Exploration

Studio 210

ART WORKSHOPS
Biannual Members' Meeting of Mechanics' Institute
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 05:30 pm Biannual Members' Meeting of Mechanics' Institute

Mechanics' Institute

Women in Tech San Francisco 2025
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 06:00 pm Women in Tech San Francisco 2025

San Francisco

BUSINESS CONFERENCES
LANGUAGE EXCHANGE at BISSAP BAOBAB
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 06:00 pm LANGUAGE EXCHANGE at BISSAP BAOBAB

Bissap Baobab SF

Bad Nerves at August Hall
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 08:00 pm Bad Nerves at August Hall

August Hall

TRIPS-ADVENTURES
Justice in San Francisco
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 08:00 pm Justice in San Francisco

Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

ART LIVE-MUSIC
Black Country, New Road in San Francisco
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 08:00 pm Black Country, New Road in San Francisco

The Warfield

CONCERTS MUSIC
Thu, 22 May, 2025 at 08:00 pm Black Country, New Road in San Francisco

The Warfield

CONCERTS MUSIC
THUNDERDOME
Tue, 03 Jan, 2017 at 09:00 pm THUNDERDOME

Endgames Improv Theater

COMEDY ART
Your Fucked Up Relationship
Fri, 06 Jan, 2017 at 09:00 pm Your Fucked Up Relationship

Endgames Improv Theater

FESTIVALS ART
Scenes & Songs with Flash Mob Musical
Fri, 01 Sep, 2017 at 08:00 pm Scenes & Songs with Flash Mob Musical

Endgames Improv Theater

LIVE-MUSIC COMEDY
Lakehouse Jazz
Fri, 04 Oct, 2019 at 07:30 pm Lakehouse Jazz

Blue Heron Boathouse

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Partner Registration: 15th Annual Youth Arts Summit
Tue, 01 Dec, 2020 at 04:00 pm Partner Registration: 15th Annual Youth Arts Summit

Youth Art Exchange Studios at La Fénix

BUSINESS ART
FREE Social Movements of San Francisco Walking Tour
Sat, 31 Jul, 2021 at 09:30 am FREE Social Movements of San Francisco Walking Tour

HI San Francisco Downtown

ART LITERARY-ART
The Confessional
Fri, 05 Nov, 2021 at 08:00 pm The Confessional

Endgames Improv Theater

COMEDY ART
The Center SF Open Mic
Fri, 04 Feb, 2022 at 07:00 pm The Center SF Open Mic

The Center SF

ART OPEN-MIC
The Setup at The Palace Theater
Fri, 18 Mar, 2022 at 09:30 pm The Setup at The Palace Theater

The Palace Theater (The Speakeasy SF)

COMEDY ENTERTAINMENT
SF Ghost Hunting Tour in Chinatown with a Paranormal Investigator
Fri, 07 Oct, 2022 at 07:00 pm SF Ghost Hunting Tour in Chinatown with a Paranormal Investigator

The Haunt SF Ghost Tours

ART THEATRE
San Francisco Tonight
Thu, 17 Nov, 2022 at 09:00 pm San Francisco Tonight

Endgames Improv

COMEDY ART
Kitchen Table (2024)
Fri, 13 Jan, 2023 at 07:00 pm Kitchen Table (2024)

826 Valencia St

ART LITERARY-ART

What's Happening Next in San Francisco?

Discover San Francisco Events