THE LOST PHOTOGRAPH
by Archana Maniar
October 12 – November 6, 2026 Virtual Book Tour
Synopsis:
A forgotten photograph. A trailblazing ancestor. And a modern woman about to discover that her family’s past holds the key to her future.
When overworked surgeon Jaanvi Chowdhury finds a mysterious photograph and a small stack of letters hidden in her Boston attic, she uncovers the remarkable story of her great-aunt Kalyani Joshi–one of the first Indian women to study medicine in 1920s London.
As Jaanvi pieces together her ancestor’s life, she discovers Kalyani’s experience of colonial oppression, her role in India’s fight for independence, and her unlikely connection with a Scottish missionary’s son, Alexander. Drawn together by their passion for literature, Kalyani and Alexander will risk everything for a free India, putting their loyalty, love, and choices to the test.
Navigating between past and present, Jaanvi confronts her own struggles. Passed over for promotion, she has lost sight of why she became a doctor. But as she learns how fiercely Kalyani fought for each opportunity–and the price she paid–Jaanvi begins to question her own carefully constructed life. Can her great-aunt’s unprecedented story help her reclaim not just her purpose in medicine but her sense of who she truly is?
A sweeping and captivating historical novel that will steal a piece of your heart, The Lost Photograph is perfect for fans of Alka Joshi, Kate Quinn, and Kristin Hannah.
Praise for The Lost Photograph:
“Archana Maniar brings 1930s India to vibrant life with this riveting story of two women bound by blood and ambition. The Lost Photograph is both intimate and sweeping in its portrait of separate generations struggling to find their place … Maniar weaves their stories into a poignant, luminous novel that stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page.”
~ Claire Booth, author of Throwing Shadows and the Hank Worth Mystery Series
“Archana Maniar’s THE LOST PHOTOGRAPH is a page-turner that has it all, forbidden love, clandestine meetings, and the very real danger of losing everything, including oneself. With vivid and compelling characters, the story is gripping and tender at the same time, a testament to how the past can bring clarity to the present, and strength to embrace the future.”
~ Nigar Alam, author of Under the Tamarind Tree
“Beautiful, vivid, and atmospheric.”
~ Fiona Valpy, author of The Skylark’s Secret and The Dark of the Moon
“A dazzling and deeply evocative novel of love, women’s rights and the Indian independence movement, Archana Maniar’s stunning prose instantly drew me into Jaanvi and Kalyani’s stories. Impossible to put down, I know the characters will stay with me for a long time!”
~ Linda Wilgus, author of The Sea Child
“I knew I shouldn’t start reading this on a weeknight, but my restraint absconded with my willpower the minute I laid my hands on this book. Maniar has done it again, artfully weaving the story of two women—related by blood and connected through time. Both buck the norms of a society that is geared to suppress their intelligence and passion. The book brings a much-needed perspective on the struggles of the Indian people under colonial rule and the tireless work of courageous souls who risked everything to gain independence. Any woman who has tried to break a glass ceiling, flex her independence, or get recognition for the merits of her work will savor this book like a crisp raspberry sorbet on a hot summer’s night.”
~ Cathi Misquitta, Early Reader
Book Details:
Genre: Historical Fiction with Contemporary Themes
Published by: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: September 15, 2026
Number of Pages: 399
ISBN: 9781662528729 (ISBN10: 1662528728)
Book Links: Amazon | Kindle | Barnes & Noble | BookShop.org | Goodreads
Read an excerpt:
Author Bio:
Born near Chicago to immigrants from India, Archana Maniar relocated with her parents to Mumbai at age four. After the culture shock abated, she fell in love with her parents’ homeland until chance brought the family to California. During vacations and family occasions, Mumbai was a frequent destination. She attended college at University of California, Los Angeles where she studied political theory and biology before attending medical school at the University of California, Davis. As a professor of medicine and practicing infectious diseases physician, she was a frontline healthcare worker from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and was deeply involved in health system pandemic preparedness. Always a writer in the margins of her day, storytelling became an obsession during her medical career, a way to process her observations about human nature during health, stress, and sickness. With a stubborn case of wanderlust, when she is not working or writing, she is usually traveling somewhere with her family. The Lost Photograph is her second novel.
Catch Up With Archana Maniar:
www.ArchanaManiarBooks.com
Amazon Author Profile
Goodreads
BookBub
Instagram – @archanamaniar
Facebook – @Archana Maniar
Q&A with Archana Maniar
What was the biggest challenge you faced in beginning your writing career?
When I first had the idea to write a novel, I had two kids under the age of 5 and worked full-time as an infectious diseases physician. Between school drop-offs, soccer practices, and a demanding job that had me working late nights and weekends, I had little free time. If I was lucky, I snuck an hour of writing in, a few times a week, usually late at night after the kids went to sleep. I developed an elaborate system of notebooks and sticky notes to warehouse my ideas. The notebooks were stashed everywhere (purse, car, nightstand). I jotted ideas down in my notebook and transferred them to sticky notes when I got home. The sticky note went on the window near my desk which served as a makeshift inspiration board. Two things you will never find missing from my desk: a notebook and a stack of sticky notes!
Can you give us a glimpse into the research that went into writing this story?
In The Lost Photograph, I recreate the old-world charm of 1930s British colonial India. The first question that I encountered was a practical one: how would a woman have traveled in the city of Bombay back then? A cab? A horse-drawn carriage? A bicycle? I combed old on-line photographs of the city from the early 20th century and found a charming vintage map of Bombay’s electric tram system. Now my characters had a realistic way to travel in the city. Rinse and repeat for the next practical question. Soon, I had hashed out the colonial-era prison system, the construction of the historic Marine Lines district of Bombay, and British India’s inheritance laws (that one took a little help from a history professor who was kind enough to explain this complex system to me). Toggling back and forth between story and research, I always had forward momentum on the writing while assuring my facts were firmly rooted in history.
Tell us why readers should pick up your book—what makes it stand out?
The Lost Photograph immerses the reader into a little known world: colonial India at the height of its insurrection against British rule. Readers will be surrounded by bustling, narrow street markets of Old Bombay and grand colonial-era buildings constructed in a fusion of European Gothic and Indian Mughal styles. They will feel the oppressive heat and humidity of an Indian summer and the cathartic power of a monsoon shower. Most importantly, they will enter the worlds of Kalyani and Alexander, two characters from vastly different backgrounds who are willing to put their bodies on the line for a free India. Alongside a modern protagonist named Jaanvi, the readers will witness the inexorable connection that develops between Kalyani and Alexander – one that transcends both space and time.
Are you currently working on your next novel? If so, can you share a little about it?
I have two current works in progress of different genres. After I finished writing The Lost Photograph, I felt this immense void. I realized that I missed the characters immensely. I also realized that the Indian independence movement came in fits and starts and the characters had far more stories to tell. So I decided to write a follow up novel, one that takes place about 10 years later, during the height of World War II. I can’t say much about it because I don’t want to introduce any spoilers but let’s just say I am beyond excited to enter Kalyani and Alexander’s world again. The second work in progress is a stand-alone novel with an entirely different genre. It is one that fits well with my day job as an Infectious Disease physician. It is part medical mystery, part modern allegory. I can’t wait to experiment with a new genre!
What are a few of your favorite foods?
Sweet: Almost anything with chocolate that has a decent crunch. Savory: Pani Puri (an Indian street food made of mung beans, red garbanzo beans, tamarind chutney, and spicy, mint water all packed into a delectable crunchy puff, my mouth is watering just thinking about the explosion of sweet-spicy-sour-crunchy-delightfulness eating each one.)
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