Events › Meet Alka Joshi, Author of Six Days in Bombay

On Tuesday, May 27, 2025 at 5:30 PM, San Mateo County Libraries is excited to host an in-person author talk at San Carlos Library with Alka Joshi, author of SIX DAYS IN BOMBAY and the Jaipur Trilogy.

Keep an eye out at your local San Mateo County Libraries branch for giveaway copies of Six Days in Bombay! We will also have a limited number of door copies available for attendees at the talk.

Six Days in Bombay is a sweeping story of identity and self-discovery inspired by the iconic Indian painter, Amrita Sher-Gil, known as the “Frida Kahlo of India.” In 1937, Sona, a young Anglo-Indian nurse meets Mira Novak, a famous half- Indian painter, when she arrives at the hospital after a miscarriage. Over the course of a week, Sona becomes captivated by Mira’s stories of worldly adventure and reckless love and the women develop a special bond. When Mira dies under mysterious circumstances, Sona immediately falls under suspicion. The key to proving Sona’s innocence leads her across a tumultuous Europe teetering on war, thrusting her into cultures and situations she’s never had to face.

Born in India and raised in the U.S. since the age of nine. Alka Joshi has a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of Arts. Joshi's debut novel, The Henna Artist, immediately became a NYT bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize, and has been translated into 30 languages. The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (2021) and The Perfumist of Paris (2023) completed the Jaipur Trilogy.  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. She is currently working on her fifth novel.