Vivek Shanbhag – författare

From a master of contemporary Indian fiction, an expertly crafted and taut family drama, set over the course of four days. 'A delightful read.' Abraham Verghese'Extraordinary.' Geetanjali Shree'A writer of rare and wonderful gifts.' Garth Greenwell 'One of those writers whose voice takes your breath away.' Yiyun Li A middle-class couple in Bengaluru, Venkat and Viji, find their quiet life upended - and the flaws in their marriage exposed - when two strange young men come knocking at their door one evening, claiming to have business with their daughter, Rekha. Since Rekha, a college senior, happens to be visiting relatives in the countryside, Venkat sends the boys away - but they come back the next day, and this time they're not alone. Venkat begins to fear for his daughter's safety and is haunted by memories of similar sinister events from his own youth, events that culminated in a betrayal and disappearance he'd prefer to forget. As Venkat's guilt-ridden imagination leaps between knowing and unknowing, evasion and confrontation, Shanbhag reveals not just the tensions in a marriage or a family, but also the fissures of class, politics and threatened violence that can tear communities apart.'Tense, taut and compulsively readable.' Deepa Anappara 'Vivek Shanbhag is probably the best writer writing in any language anywhere.' Mohammed Hanif

'One of the finest literary works you will ever encounter.' Irish Times 'A jewel of a novel.' Times Literary Supplement 'A stunning satire.' Observer 'India's finest writer.' HeraldIt's true what they say, it's not we who control the money, it's the money that controls us. A close-knit family is delivered from near-destitution to sudden wealth after a miraculous change in fortune. But family dynamics begin to shift when the narrator moves with his sister, his parents, and his uncle from a cramped shack to a huge home and encounters new-found wealth. As the dream of middle-class, aspirational living comes true, allegiances and desires realign; marriages are arranged and begin to falter; and conflict brews ominously in the background.

A guide to the ancient Indian medical system, and its benefits.