Ayãla has at its core the theme of incest.
Sexual abuse is not exclusive - it has no boundaries. The book is the story of Ayala who at the age of eleven is raped by her uncle. The incident is pushed back to the nether recesses of her memory and instead the book focuses on her growing up years where her mother is the dominant figure and her sister is a by product of an over active imagination, a safety valve on which to cushion her inner turmoil.

Ayãla gets married and looks forward to a different life with new beginnings and hope. But in a bizarre twist of fate, she spends her wedding night not with her husband but....... On one level this book is about abuse, about being dormant and the consequences that result from inaction hence the many vignettes on life, women and families in urban cities.