Lila De is on the verge of a career breakthrough when she gets a call from her mother in Kolkata, informing her that she's inherited her family's sprawling estate-so she returns there after a decade of estrangement. Lila's grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins still live on different floors of the house, and all of them resent her sudden inheritance. To make matters more complicated, her first boyfriend seeks her out when she arrives, and her star author-and occasional lover- is suddenly determined to make things serious.

As Lila come to terms with both past and present, suppressed family secrets emerge, culminating in a shocking act of violence. Lila has no choice but to finally address her family's inherited custom of keeping everything under the surface.

Perfect for fans of Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews, The Magnificent Ruins is an unforgettable novel about the millennial immigrant experience and the desire for belonging.