En media res

After reading the back of the book for a summary (that came without any huge spoilers, mind you), I expected that the plot, involving two sisters that became estranged after one has an affair with the other's fiancée, would have at least some form of a flashback to the past, or at least begin at the very beginning of the whole sororal predicament.

And sure enough, the book begins with the elder sister Aloka Gupta 7 years after majority of the events have already occurred-- it begins with the bleak prospect of divorce for Aloka, as she finds herself a now isolated transplant in New York:

"The cold jumble of glass, concrete, chrome, and steel before her now stood in cruel contrast to the allure of that idyllic time. As she turned away, the final divorce papers, legal sized and officiously stamped with the seal of the state of New York and the day's date, stared accusingly from the top of her writing desk." (page 1)

However, the order that the events are presented in the book do not necessarily adhere to the chronological timeline of the events:

The first half of events, involving Aloka and Pranab's relationship, Sujata's affair with Pranab, then Sujata's exile and Aloka and Pranab's escape to New York (Occurring circa 1993): pages 14-94

The second half of events--Aloka and Pranab's divorce and Aloka, Pranab, and Sujata's lives in 2000 ;the trip to Darjeeling and the events during the return (Notably Sujata and Mreenal's relationship and Nina's lives with the daughters): pages 1-13, 95-302

In fact, this set up reminds me of Odysseus' narration, which also begins en media res to describe the result before the resolution-- Odysseus is about to return to Ithaca after his perilous journey home from the Trojan War, as chaos erupts within the wicked courters and women back in his home. It's an interesting format to sandwich the past between the present, almost as if it's one big flashback that has set up all the good and bad things that happen and will happen. This is also nicely paired with the flashbacks that the characters all have during the story, majority of which are essentially happier times-- a rosy retrospective outlook on the past. 

En media res could have also been used in order to show the mental state of Aloka at the beginning of the novel (not necessarily the ordeal) and the disheveled state of her mind after the divorce. I also found it interesting that the story begins and ends with Aloka, even though the story really centers on Sujata, Nina, AND Aloka. Reading through the quote from the 1st page again, I notice that Aloka begins the story looking back into the past, and how she ends the book looking towards the future.