In Sister of My Heart, Divakaruni tells the moving story of two cousins, Sudha and Anju Chatterjee. Born twelve hours apart in the same house, the women consider themselves twins, and from a very early age get everything they need from life--love, respect, council, and friendship--from each other. Together they experience the joys, pains, mystical tales, and tiresome tasks that accompany growing up in a traditional Indian house in Calcutta. Their exceptional bond remains the core of the novel as their affection for each other increasingly shapes the course of their lives.
Intensely rich and complex, Sister of My Heart eloquently reveals the underlying tension between the desires of the girls' mothers, who embrace traditional Indian culture, and those of the Sudha and Anju, who are more enticed by Western philosophies. But an even greater obstacle penetrates the Chatterjee household. The disturbing truth about the circumstances under which Sudha and Anju were born is only known by Sudha, and the secret tortures her and weaves a menacing thread through their friendship. When the cousins are physically separated by Arranged Marriages, their uncommon bond faces its hardest test. One travels to America, and one remains in India--each to lead lives of more secrets. When tragedy strikes both, they discover that, despite distance and marriage, they must turn to each other once again for support and friendship.

Exceptionally moving, dramatic, and exquisitely rendered, Sister of My Heart is a passionate novel about the extraordinary bond between two women, and the jealousies, loves, and family histories that threaten to tear them apart.
-Taken from Random House Reading Group Center