Book Excerpt: Family Secrets, Forgotten Past & a Mystery That Spans Generations

All That She Left Behind, author Atima Mankotia’s third book, was launched on 6 September 2026.

Book Excerpt: All That She Left Behind, by Atima Mankotia

(Photo: Atima Mankotia/Altered by The Quint)

(Extracted with permission from All That She Left Behind, by Atima Mankotia, published by Readomania Publishing. Paragraph breaks have been added for readers’ convenience).

A mysterious box, strange contents, and an enigmatic letter urging her to search for someone long believed dead—these are the fragments of the past Sanya inherits when her formidable grandmother, Saudamini Malviya, a self-made and exceedingly wealthy businesswoman, dies, leaving behind more than grief.

As Sanya follows the clues, she is drawn into the tangled relationships of three generations of women—Saudamini, her daughter Anusuya, and Sanya herself.

Book cover: All That She Left Behind, by Atima Mankotia

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

Author Atima Mankotia (right) in conversation with publisher Dipankar Mukherjee (left) at the book launch at Museo Camera, Gurugram, on 6 September.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

A hidden family history emerges, stretching back to pre-Independence India, when Saudamini was a young girl growing up amid political upheaval, forbidden loyalties, and dangerous silences.

Her past had been guarded fiercely—perhaps desperately.

But another thread surfaces: the centuries-old legend of Princess Sanyukta of Kannauj. Why does this tale echo so eerily through Saudamini’s life? And how does its shadow seep into her mind, compelling into actions that shock and unsettle?

Moving between past and present, Sanya uncovers buried truths, hidden identities, and choices that shaped three generations of women. The deeper she digs, the more unsettling the truth becomes.

Some stories demand to be told. Others were buried for a reason.

And Sanya must decide: are all secrets meant to be revealed—or are some better left unsaid?

(All That She Left Behind is author Atima Mankotia’s third book, launched on 6 September 2026. This is an opinion piece; the views expressed are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for them.)