Sensuous generational novel about a Sikh mother whose secret past corrodes her life with tragic consequences for all - by a 29 year old first time author.
'Take off your clothes I want to see you' Karam said.Just a few words, spoken like a caress made Sarna start wondering. Sarna, however, is convinced they have moved to England so he can visit his secret London lady friends.
Sensuous generational novel about a Sikh mother whose secret past corrodes her life with tragic consequences for all - by a 29 year old first time author.'Take off your clothes I want to see you' Karam said.Just a few words, spoken like a caress made Sarna start wondering. Where did he learn such new and passionate techniques?When Sarna Singh leaves the lustrous green hills of Uganda for England, streets of cramped old houses were not what she was expecting. Husband Karam has been seduced by the historical feel of the city of London. Sarna, however, is convinced they have moved to England so he can visit his secret London lady friends. Sarna has a secret of her own, but she is adept at hiding it. She impresses her English teacher with her attempt at a cutglass accent, and copious gifts of delicious food. With two children to educate, money is scarce, and soon, she is devising weekly shoplifting expeditions to the supermarket.But all the while, Sarna is tormented by a mistake she made as a young woman in India. To stifle unwanted memories, she cooks zealously, sweetening her thoughts with syrup, or suffocating them with the hottest spice she can find. But when she receives an unexpected letter from back home, her assumed equilibrium is shattered to the skies. It carries an ultimatum she cannot ignore ...Set on an epic backdrop from Partition, the Coronation and Churchill's funeral, to the present day, Priya Basil explores with compassion, the universal complexities of vanity and love. Her sensuous portrayal of the trials and tribulations of the Singh family carries universal truths for all of us.
Short-listed for Commonwealth Writers' Prize Best First Book - Eurasia 2008
“With a verve for the colour of life, this book . . . surprises with its underlying wisdom”
6 Great Reads, Good Housekeeping
An enticing debut novel by a much-vaunted young novelist The Glasgow Herald
A brilliantly woven tale . . . clever and often funny Candis
A dark meditation on escapism and reinvention Irish Tatler
The product of a deft hand that mixes engrossing narrative with unexpected dashes of magical realism India Today
Priya Basil was born in London in 1977. She spent her childhood in Kenya and now divides her time between London and Berlin. Ishq and Mushq is her first novel.
'An enticing debut novel by a much-vaunted young novelist' Glasgow Herald A sensuous story of love, war and family secrets When Sarna Singh leaves the lustrous green hills of Uganda for England, rows of cramped old houses were not what she was expecting. Husband Karam has brought her to Clapham Common, hoping that the greenery will remind her of Kampala.But Sarna is convinced they have moved to England so he can visit his secret London lady friends. She has a devastating secret of her own. How long before Sarna's web of deceit destroys her own family? Against a backdrop that spans Partition from India, Elizabeth II's Coronation and Churchill's funeral, to the present day, Priya Basil's explosive family drama is passionate and moving. 'With a verve for the colour of life, this book ...surprises with its underlying wisdom' - Good Housekeeping 's 6 Great Reads 'Brilliantly woven ...clever and often funny' Candis 'The product of a deft hand that mixes engrossing narrative with unexpected dashes of magical realism' India Today
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