Book description
In a house on a Calcutta street, lit by the half-light of a yellow
street lamp, lies a baby, one day old, wrapped in its hospital towel. In
the next room sits a man, all alone, writing. Who is this man, at once
frightened and determined? What is he writing? Where has the baby come
from and where will it go? Tonight, these questions will be answered
when the man unravels the dark secrets he has carried all his life. 'A
ghostly, elliptical piece of prose of quite magical quality, which tells
the story of one man's reconciliation with his past . . . It is
undeniably powerful' Edward Marriott, Evening Standard 'Enchanting . . .
Jha is not afraid to risk emotion, but he never falls into the trap of
sentimentality. That is, in itself, a considerable achievement' Andrew
Biswell, Daily Telegraph 'Jha has a real knack for narrative,
alternating urgency and delay to the point where his virtuoso handling
of the story becomes almost tricksy . . . He is a remarkable writer'
Phil Baker, Sunday Times 'A powerful, haunting and sometimes shocking
novel that deserves to be read at one sitting and then re-read' Cormac
Kinsella, Irish Times 'This is an incantatory, audacious book, notable
for great moments of poignancy' Baret Magarian, Guardian Shortlisted for
the Guardian First Book Award Winner of the Best First Book Commonwealth
Writers' Award for the Eurasia region Raj Kamal Jha is a
mechanical engineering graduate from the Indian Institute of Technology,
and has a Master's degree in journalism from the University of Southern
California, Los Angeles. He lives in New Delhi, where he is executive
editor of the
Indian Express
.
