Looking For An Address (Paperback)
Language: English
Published by Parabaas, 2026
- Softcover
- New
Seller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, AustraliaAussieBookSeller
AbeBooks seller since June 22, 2007
Condition: New
£ 18.78
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Paperback. Looking for an Address is, at heart, a portrait of a diaspora learning to live, love, and improvise in a city that is both bewildering and full of possibility.The story follows Jhilli, newly arrived from Kolkata and suddenly swept into the Bengali immigrant world of New York City. What she encounters is not a tidy or uniform community, but a shifting constellation of people who have crossed oceans for different reasons-ambition, escape, heartbreak, hope-and who now find themselves bound together by shared language, familiar food, and the fragile comfort of recognition. Apartments become gathering places, weekend meals turn into emotional lifelines, and friendships form with the urgency of people trying to build a sense of home from scratch.The depiction of immigrant life is affectionate but never sentimental. She shows the exhilaration of newfound freedom alongside the ache of displacement, the tug of old expectations against the demands of a new country, and the quiet negotiations required to survive. Jhilli's circle is full of taxi drivers who trade stories of Dhaka and Kolkata at dawn, young professionals juggling multiple jobs, women navigating marriage and independence, and men trying to keep family ties alive across continents. Their struggles with visas, finances, loneliness, and cultural friction are rendered with a clarity that makes the community feel vivid and deeply human.Through Jhilli's relationships-both within the Bengali circle and with Americans who enter her orbit-the novel explores how immigrant communities become bridges between cultures. It asks what one keeps from home, what one must let go, and how reinvention becomes both a necessity and a risk. The result is a nuanced portrayal of identity in motion, shaped as much by collective experience as by individual longing.For readers drawn to stories of diaspora, urban belonging, and the messy beauty of community, Looking for an Address offers a richly textured immersion into Bengali immigrant life in 1990s New York. It is a novel where humor and vulnerability coexist, where characters feel startlingly real, and where the search for an "address" becomes a metaphor for finding one's place in a world that is constantly shifting. The notion of 'address' gradually expands beyond the physical to embrace 'refuge' from racial disparity in the case of Gloria and the 'ideal of love' in the case of Benjamin and Jhilli.Translated from the Bengali Thikana, Looking for an Address retains the wit, tenderness, and clarity that define Dev Sen's writing. It is a novel that feels intimate in its details and expansive in its themes, offering a richly textured depiction of diaspora life that remains strikingly relevant. For readers drawn to stories of migration, identity, and the messy beauty of community, this book offers a deeply human exploration of what it means to search for belonging-and to discover that "home" is often something we build together. Amidst the frantic pulse of a sprawling metropolis, a newcomer navigates a vibrant tapestry of displaced souls seeking more than just a place to stay. It is a poignant exploration of how shared struggles and unexpected loves forge a sense of home. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability.…
Seller Inventory # 9781946582119
- Title
- Looking For An Address (Paperback)
- Author
- Nabaneeta Dev Sen
- Publisher
- Parabaas
- Publication year
- 2026
- Condition
- new
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 1946582115
- ISBN 13
- 9781946582119
Looking for an Address is, at heart, a portrait of a diaspora learning to live, love, and improvise in a city that is both bewildering and full of possibility.
The story follows Jhilli, newly arrived from Kolkata and suddenly swept into the Bengali immigrant world of New York City. What she encounters is not a tidy or uniform community, but a shifting constellation of people who have crossed oceans for different reasons-ambition, escape, heartbreak, hope-and who now find themselves bound together by shared language, familiar food, and the fragile comfort of recognition. Apartments become gathering places, weekend meals turn into emotional lifelines, and friendships form with the urgency of people trying to build a sense of home from scratch.
The depiction of immigrant life is affectionate but never sentimental. She shows the exhilaration of newfound freedom alongside the ache of displacement, the tug of old expectations against the demands of a new country, and the quiet negotiations required to survive. Jhilli's circle is full of taxi drivers who trade stories of Dhaka and Kolkata at dawn, young professionals juggling multiple jobs, women navigating marriage and independence, and men trying to keep family ties alive across continents. Their struggles with visas, finances, loneliness, and cultural friction are rendered with a clarity that makes the community feel vivid and deeply human.
Through Jhilli's relationships-both within the Bengali circle and with Americans who enter her orbit-the novel explores how immigrant communities become bridges between cultures. It asks what one keeps from home, what one must let go, and how reinvention becomes both a necessity and a risk. The result is a nuanced portrayal of identity in motion, shaped as much by collective experience as by individual longing.
For readers drawn to stories of diaspora, urban belonging, and the messy beauty of community, Looking for an Address offers a richly textured immersion into Bengali immigrant life in 1990s New York. It is a novel where humor and vulnerability coexist, where characters feel startlingly real, and where the search for an "address" becomes a metaphor for finding one's place in a world that is constantly shifting. The notion of 'address' gradually expands beyond the physical to embrace 'refuge' from racial disparity in the case of Gloria and the 'ideal of love' in the case of Benjamin and Jhilli.
Translated from the Bengali Thikana, Looking for an Address retains the wit, tenderness, and clarity that define Dev Sen's writing. It is a novel that feels intimate in its details and expansive in its themes, offering a richly textured depiction of diaspora life that remains strikingly relevant. For readers drawn to stories of migration, identity, and the messy beauty of community, this book offers a deeply human exploration of what it means to search for belonging-and to discover that "home" is often something we build together.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Dr. Chhanda Chattopadhyay Bewtra is an Emerita Professor of Pathology at Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska. She has published in both English and Bengali. Her translations include Distant Thunder ('Ashani Sanket'), and Ichhamoti by Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay and Sati's Remains ('Satideha') by Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay.
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
AussieBookSeller
Truganina, VIC, Australia
AbeBooks seller since June 22, 2007
Shipping rates from Australia to U.S.A.
| Item | 25 to 45 business days | 8 to 14 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 27.60 | £ 32.83 |
Payment methods
Seller's business information
The Nile Group Pty Ltd
42 Apex Drive
Truganina, VIC Australia 3029
Terms of sale
We guarantee the condition of every book as it's described on the Abebooks web sites. If you're dissatisfied with your purchase (Incorrect Book/Not as Described/Damaged) or if the order hasn't arrived, you're eligible for a refund within 30 days of the estimated delivery date. If you've changed your mind about a book that you've ordered, please use the Ask bookseller a question link to contact us and we'll respond within 2 business days.
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to AussieBookSeller, Truganina, Victoria, Australia, without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.
Shipping terms
Please note that titles are dispatched from our UK and NZ warehouse. Delivery times specified in shipping terms. Orders ship within 2 business days. Delivery to your door then takes 8-15 days.