“The Direction of the Wind is an unexpected and compelling exploration of the way culture shapes us. This is a gritty, lyrical, heartbreaking, and deeply moving novel. I found myself reading far into the night, unable to leave behind the quest of these two women, a generation apart. Mansi Shah writes with a fresh voice and clear eyes.”—Barbara O’Neal, USA Today bestselling author of When We Believed in Mermaids

“A tender novel about the push and pull between families and independence, obligation and freedom, and the past and the future. The Direction of the Wind will both break your heart and send it soaring. Bravo, Mansi Shah!”—Allison Winn Scotch, bestselling author of The Rewind

“Mansi Shah’s second novel, The Direction of the Wind, is an absorbing exploration of the price of passion and blazing one’s own path despite the weight of convention, family obligations, even motherhood. Using interlocking mother-daughter perspectives spanning decades and continents, Shah gives an unflinching portrayal of lost innocence, addiction, and misplaced romance. Despite heavy losses, this is a hopeful novel set in the city of light, where love prevails in unlikely friendships and the unbreakable bond of chosen family. Perfect reading for travelers and journeys of the heart.”—Yoojin Grace Wuertz, author of Everything Belongs to Us