An aerial shot of River Oaks District (photo by Shannon O'Hara)
According to a source cited by the Houston Chronicle, Fertitta paid close to $450 million for River Oaks District, which has retail offerings including Cartier, Balmain, Zimmerman, Brunello Cucinelli and Dior, plus more than 67,000 square feet of office space, and 279 apartment units. The development was previously owned by "an entity tied to JPMorgan Asset Management, which bought the center for $550 million in 2016," per the Chronicle.
“Adding River Oaks District to our Post Oak Hotel family of offerings seamlessly complements the curated experience we have created for the luxury-seeking consumer,” said Fertitta in a statement. “This is the perfect moment in time to add this premier mixed-use development to our luxury portfolio, creating incredible cross-promotional opportunities and elevating the standard for luxury dining and shopping for Houstonians and international travelers alike.”
The statement touted the "synergy" among Fertitta's award-winning Post Oak Hotel, adjacent Post Oak Motor Cars, his high-end Uptown restaurants, and his latest acquisition of River Oaks District.
River Oaks District (photo by Francisco Ramos)
It became her debut novel, The Night of the Storm, a classic locked-room mystery featuring a multigenerational Indian-American family struggling with the cultural mores of their homeland and xenophobia lurking throughout Western culture. Their struggle comes to a head when Harvey compels the recently divorced Jia and her troubled teenage son Ishaan to take refuge at her sister Seema’s and husband Vipul’s Sugar Land home.
While Ishaan grudgingly looks after Seema’s toddler, Jia tries to befriend her sister’s superstitious mother-in-law; brother-in-law Rajendra and his very white wife Lisa; and a handsome, duplicitous neighbor named Rafael.
When the first body falls, it’s a shock, and as accusations and recriminations fly, Parekh’s love for her culture and skill as a writer compels the reader to empathize with each of her characters, however unlikeable they may be.
Parekh is especially good at conveying the interior life of Jia, a single working mom. “Some of my closest friends are single moms, and they are my heroes,” says Parekh, who lives in Texas with her husband and a toddler. For Indian single moms, there’s another layer of social stigma and shaming, including the pressure not only to have a child but a child of a certain gender. “It’s sad to say this, but brown, South Asian women are finding the novel very relatable,” says Parekh.
Parekh, who has devoured mystery novels since she was a child — ones which rarely featured people from her culture — has changed the game with Storm, and like any first-time author who has dreamed of seeing their book in a bookstore, she is feeling proud and nervous. “Twenty percent excitement, 80 percent anxiety!” laughs Parekh.
