Description

Two girls: Eve, whose body is her only weapon and source of power; Savita, Eve’s best friend and the only one who loves her selflessly, planning to leave, but not without Eve. Two boys: Saadiq, gifted would-be poet, deeply in love with Eve; Clelio, the neighbourhood tough, waiting without hope for his brother to send for him from France. All are desperate to escape the cycle of fear and violence in which they are trapped.

Publisher Review

'The power of this haunting novel is its universality; the stark contrast between the pleasures of the rich and the struggles of the poor has been explored previously, but Devi breathes new life into a familiar conflict by offering four interwoven perspectives, with each narrator affected differently and tragically by the impossibility of changing their circumstances. The beauty of Devi's prose belies the horror of the world she conjures up. This is a visceral portrait of violence rendered honestly and gracefully.' - Publishers' Weekly (starred review) 'Devi's novel is of a piece with an important strand in postcolonial feminist writing that locates the central tragedy of survival in the necessity of repeated leave-takings, which are always acts of betrayal-betrayal of home, of history, of nation, of those who stayed.' (Anjuli Raza Kolb, Bookforum) 'It could be a manifesto for reading translated fiction, and this stunning short novel is a perfect starting point.' (Deborah Smith, The Guardian) 'Devi's prose is both thoughtful and torrential in its force.' (Le Monde) 'One of the major literary voices of the Indian Ocean.' (PEN American Centre) A remarkable book that is as much a call to action as it is a love story, Devi beautifully juxtaposes the beauty and despair of the island through her dreamy, ethereal prose, and the audacity of her characters' ambition.' (The Gazette, USA)