Asha Patel is living the dream, living in Paris and working on becoming a master perfumer at her company. Ever since her grandmother discovered her “special gift” – her heightened sense of smell – she and Asha’s mother have nurtured Asha to follow that career path. But then she loses her gift and even after months of seeing specialists, she’s about to give up hope. Her career in jeopardy, Asha returns home to San Francisco in a last-ditch effort to restore the one thing that her life goal depends on. But once she arrives, she realizes that a lot has changed in her years away. She feels detached from the life she once knew. Scent of a Garden by Namrata Patel follows Asha as she faces the reality of letting go of her life path – one that was forged for her – and realizing that for once, she has a chance to discover her own trajectory. 

Asha’s family owns a luxury hotel in Napa Valley. Because of Asha’s gift, she is not in line to inherit the business after her father Sanjay moves on. Asha’s mother Sapna shipped her off to the best perfuming schools once she graduated high school. Before then, she cultivated her gift by arranging special lessons and exposing her to the life she wanted for her daughter. And Asha’s grandmother Leela, the one who discovered her gift, all but encouraged it. After all, it was Leela’s impressive four-acre garden that allowed Asha’s superpower to reveal itself. It’s all Asha has ever known. So when her gift disappears, she must figure out what to do next. But also how she will break the news to the two people who are just as invested – if not more so – in her career. And now her father might see this as an opportunity to pass on his legacy to Asha as an alternative. 

Asha also reunites with her high school sweetheart and family friend, Neel. There’s history and unfinished business between the two, which distracts Asha from her current predicament. And the more time she spends rekindling her family relationships, the more she learns how their lives moved on without her. Including her grandmother’s garden, which might be uprooted to make way for other family endeavors. 

Scent of a Garden is Patel’s second standalone after her debut (The Candid Life of Meena Dave). While I absolutely loved her first book, this second one fell a bit short for me. The pacing was a bit slow and I wanted more closure and hope among Asha’s family relationships. Even so, Patel’s research into the process of perfume development, plants and herbs, and the chemistry of it all was evident. I could easily picture the vibrance of the family’s land and scents. I also appreciated the idea of a main character having an identity crisis after losing the one sense that her life depends on. And Patel does a great job of incorporating cultural expectations and assimilating to Western ideals. Even so, my expectations for this book were high after loving Patel’s debut. Unfortunately this one didn’t quite hit the same way. 

Namrata Patel returns to The Nerd Cantina Show podcast for another Cantina Conversation. She talks about how publishing her second novel differed from the release of her debut, and what’s next on her plate. Keep an ear out for the interview in an upcoming episode and preorder Scent of a Garden, available June 13.