Everything Here Belongs to You

Everything Here Belongs to You follows Parul and Mohini through their early lives and coming of age. The two young women grow up under the same roof but live very different lives. Parul was six years old when her desperately poor father brought her from their village to live with the Sens, a middle-class Hindu family. Following common customs, Parul was taken in as a servant, asked to hide her Muslim idenity, and trained to do household chores alongside Mrs. Sen. By contrast, Mohini, the Sens' daughter, who is a few years younger than Parul, has led a life of privilege and education.

As Parul grows older, she becomes increasingly unhappy and resentful with her lot in life. Mohini struggles with their relationship as well, never sure whether to treat Parul as a sister or a servant. When Parul has a passionate, secret affair with Rahim, a radical Muslim, the careful order the Sens have maintained is thrown into chaos. Parul must decide where her loyalties lie when Rahim asks her to betray the Sens and endanger a young American man who is staying with them and to whom Mohini is attracted. Parul's choice will shock the family and determine everyone's future.

Saborna's debut novel "The Distance" was published by the independent press Istoria Books and received a starred review from Publishers Weekly, which commented: "Through Roychowdhury's rich detail and illuminating dialogue emerges a protagonist who is caught in a love triangle and the conflict between rigid traditions and western freedoms." The novel was well-received in other publications in the U.S. and elsewhere, including the South Asian Review and Hyphen Magazine.

Her short story "Bengal Monsoon" appeared in New York Stories magazine and received a Pushcart Prize nomination. She was born and raised in Kolkata, India, moved to the U.S. for undergraduate work in chemistry. She lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and twin daughters.