Nepal RPCV Nick Cibrario writes the Garden of Kathmandu Trilogy
The Pomelo Tree
In the first book of the trilogy, The Pomelo Tree, Carl Brecht, an anthropologist, travels to South Asia to do research on Shamanism. On the flight to Nepal he befriends Margaret Porter and her unruly sons, Nigel and Christopher. They arrive in Kathmandu during Dasain, a ten day Hindu Festival, involving animal sacrifices to the goddess, Durga. Carl meets Jeannie in the garden of the Kathmandu Guest House. They spend time together, touring the shrines of the city before her unexpected departure for Pokhara. Margaret suddenly checks into his hotel with her children, renewing their friendship.
Carl discovers that Margaret is fleeing from a London coven. The leader of the coven has been pursuing her for eight years. He claims that Margaret's son, Nigel, belongs to the demon, Ravana. During the peak of the animal sacrifices in October, Nigel disappears. Carl finds him at the Taleju Temple, where the royal family had recently worshipped at a special ceremony. A crisis occurs in the garden under the pomelo tree at the Kathmandu Guest House, altering their lives forever.
The Harvest
The second novel of the trilogy is entitled, The Harvest. Carl Brecht goes to the Chitwaun National Park, searching for the missing child. His quest leads him to Kalinagar, India during Indira Gandhi's compulsory sterilization program, known as the State of Emergency.
The Shamans
In the third book of the trilogy, Carl travels to Pokhara, finding evidence that Nigel is staying at the Third Eye Hotel. He ventures into the mountains, where he witnesses the shamans performing exorcism before returning to confront the coven at Fewa Lake.
