Nepal, Jan. 25 -- Leo Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina', a romantic tragedy set in 19th-century tsarist Russia, opens with a timeless declaration: "All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." This sentiment encapsulates the central theme of Basanta Basnet's Nepali novel, 'Simsara', which explores the emotional turmoil of a dysfunctional family in Nepal's eastern hills.

Set in the misty mountain village of Khawa in an unnamed eastern district (possibly Panchthar or Ilam), 'Simsara' revolves around a troubled household. The father, Dhanrup, a postman nearing retirement, is often absent from their newly built home near a graveyard. His wife, Mandakranta, an unlettered yet formidable woman, shoulders the family's bu...