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Amrit grew up in India and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. A chemical engineer with an MBA from premier institutions in the U.S. and India, she has a stellar academic record that made her a constant fixture in the far-right side of grade distributions. Amrit has worked with global technology companies, driving strategic projects and large growth initiatives, all the while barely managing to suppress her cynicism for all things that are overbearingly corporate.
Writing fiction is Amrit’s heart’s most profound wish. Among others are finishing the Ironman 70.3 simply to shout “I am Ironman!” (Black Sabbath style) and writing a book about everyday applications of calculus and algebra for youth in order to make math more accessible.
When she’s not driving her daughters to golf on busy freeways, and sometimes even while doing so, Amrit contemplates deeply, and often restlessly, about the world we live in and about the next book she will read. Gilded Spirits is her debut novel.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn for Readers' Favorite
Gilded Spirits by Amrit Kallar is a richly layered novel that introduces us to the lives of two women separated by more than a century but united by their struggles. We meet Emily fleeing Savannah during the Gold Rush era. She journeys west with Jonah, a Black man she loves, only to face betrayal, loss, and ultimately confinement in an asylum. Meanwhile, in modern-day California, Meera, an immigrant battling bipolar disorder, is caught in the exploitative tech industry. Through a supernatural connection, Emily inspires Meera to challenge corruption and create an equitable workplace. Kallar’s powerful narrative draws parallels between the injustices of the past and the present, creating a haunting yet hopeful tale of resilience.
Author Amrit Kallar has a great sense of how to tell a story and when to deliver each moment to maintain the maximum level of suspense and drama, and that's best shown by the dual timeline structure of this tale. Emily's and Meera’s parallel journeys work in a wonderful way to create a poignant narrative that highlights how injustice comes back around time and again throughout history and how we always have to fight against it. This social commentary element comes in many forms in the story but it's best expressed in the mental health struggles that both women have. We see the empowered female protagonists handle their journey of self-liberation with determination and strength. This inspiring story is beautifully matched to its atmospheric setting as Kallar’s vivid descriptions bring both the Gold Rush era and modern-day California to life with remarkable authenticity. Overall, Gilded Spirits is a highly recommended read that I thoroughly enjoyed from cover to cover.
