ABOUT THE BOOK
August 1972. Mehru watches Justin Thampi with a frown and suspicion as he whips out a few rupee notes. If she gives him the five kulfis, it could spell trouble. If not, that too might get her in trouble. What should she do?
Joyce Thampi watches helplessly as a young Justin is dragged on the platform by the moving train, desperately clinging to the coach handles. Platform food stall workers and the bookstall owner jump out and scream for someone to pull the chain. Will they save Justin in time?
Slapped across her face for confronting her out-of-work husband, Mehru storms outside her jhuggi late at night. As she goes, she whispers 10 a.m. or else… Will Mehru stay true to her ultimatum?
Ananya Andrews reads about Justin’s debating skills at her IIT Mumbai hostel and decides to write to his old Sehju Road address. Will Justin forget and forgive?
Frail, much older, with a toothless smile. Mehru beams seeing a US-returned Justin. A torn saree, unkempt hair, and dirty nails tell a different story. Justin wonders why Mehru needs to work at her age.As Justin waits patiently for the restless crowd to disembark from the Maid of the Mist, a woman in her thirties—attractive, windswept, and hidden beneath a hoodie—stumbles past him. Instinctively, he reaches out and steadies her. There’s something oddly familiar about her. Then it hits him—Ananya Andrews. Will fate play Cupid decades later?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Having spent most of his career on the business side of things, with reputed brand marketing companies and advertising agencies like Ogilvy and DDB Mudra, Julian Thadathil turned to writing during the pandemic. The Ice Cream Lady marks his literary debut.
Julian is also exploring the world of screenwriting; one of his film scripts was a quarterfinalist at the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest 2022, while another short film script was nominated at IFP 2024. He has adapted The Ice Cream Lady into an SWA & WGA registered film script and hopes to see it on screen/OTT someday.
Julian lives with his wife, an educationist, and their two daughters. His interests include reading, cinema, music, tennis, and learning about emerging technologies.
