Summary

Hell-Heaven – Pranab Chakraborty is such a close friend of Usha’s family that Usha refers to him as Uncle Pranab. As a recent immigrant to Cambridge, Massachusetts, Pranab had sought out their friendship due to their roots in India. Usha’s father is a microbiology researcher at Massachusetts General, while Pranab is a wealthy graduate student at MIT. Both the Usha and her mother look forward to Pranab’s visits. While Usha’s father is very serious and committed to work, Pranab is friendly and well-cultured. Usha’s father feels freed of many of the burdens of fatherhood and marriage as a result. Usha’s mother falls in love with Pranab.

In autumn, 1974, Pranab begins dating an American girl named Deborah. Usha finds Deborah beautiful, but her mother finds Deborah unattractive. She resents the visits Pranab makes with...