Pyschiatrist's Debut Novel, The Ghosts That Come Between Us, Is "An insightful, graceful read" That Shines A Light On The Pain Of Incest And Child Sex Abuse

CHICAGO, Sept. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The Ghosts That Come Between Us, the novel by psychiatrist and first-time author Dr. Bulbul Bahuguna, M.D., is scheduled for release on March 15, 2013, the book's publisher, Drona Productions, announced today. Ghosts unfolds as a first-person narrative over the course of 45 years, and follows the travails of young Nargis Yadav as she suffers abuse at the hands of her father and grows of age as life takes her from post-Independence India, through Communist Russia and to a Chicago suburb where she settles as a triumphant but tormented adult.

"An insightful, graceful read . . . ," said Kirkus Reviews about Ghosts. "It's a difficult story, but one that is well-told. Nargis is a relatable character and Bahuguna approaches her plight with grace and sympathy. The supporting cast . . . is well-drawn, and the family drama that ensues is efficiently handled. Bahuguna notes that she, too, has lived in India, Russia and Chicago, and she's able to colorfully develop each setting." (www.kirkusreviews.com/author/bulbul-bahuguna)

Besides being a rich narrative, with an evocative prose that tightly weaves a drama of family dysfunction, Ghosts highlights an enormous social issue of child -- especially girl-child -- abuse. According to Dr. Bahuguna, child sex abuse is grossly under-reported worldwide, and the main reason for this is universally the same -- the need to protect the family, and not the child, from the social stigma associated with child sexual abuse. Many experts believe, and Dr. Bahuguna concurs, that between 65-85 percent of prostituted children have a history of childhood sex abuse. Studies also show that, in the general population globally, roughly one in four girls will be a victim of childhood sex abuse. "Sadly, often times, the victim is re-victimized through sex trafficking," rues Dr. Bahuguna.

"I wrote Ghosts to shine a light on a shocking problem that too often lurks in the dark for reasons that are obvious, and one that horrifically ripples through the lives of not only sexual abuse victims but also those of their family members and others," said Dr. Bahuguna, who treats victims of such abuse in her Chicago-based practice. "Loyalty and love can nurture but also maim and wound the psyche of an individual. In my work with patients over the last 20 years, I have frequently witnessed the effects of this rampant abuse first-hand. I have treated numerous families whose lives are devastated by the trauma of child sex abuse, and feel a responsibility to bring such abuse to the surface for all to see in a way that humanizes and exposes it to help achieve hoped-for eradication. I wanted to be a writer all my life, and am humbled to debut my writing career with Ghosts."

"Without being preachy, the protagonist of Ghosts, a very endearing narrator Nargis, takes us through a path that is filled with bumps as she tells the story about her personal coping with childhood sex abuse and how she moved on," said Dan Gilbert, a spokesperson for Drona Productions. "A writer is born! This is a must-read not only for all high school students across the world, but also for all adults who should care."

The Ghosts That Come Between Us will be available at all major retailers and electronically beginning March 15, 2013.  Hardcover (447 pp.) list pricing is $28.95. ISBN:  9780985422219. LCCN 2012938628

For more information about Ghosts and Dr. Bahuguna, visit www.bulbulbahuguna.com or www.dronaproductions.com.

About the author
Dr. Bulbul Bahuguna was born in North India.  She was admitted to medical school at the acclaimed All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi and, soon thereafter, chosen to study medicine in Moscow, USSR, on a Government of India Full Merit Scholarship.  She completed her residency in psychiatry at Northwestern University in Chicago.  Dr. Bahuguna practices on the North Shore in Chicago, IL, and is a National Trustee of the American India Foundation, a leading charity involved in accelerating social change in India.  Ghosts is her first novel.

SOURCE Drona Productions