Vivek Shanbhag

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

In this masterful novel by the acclaimed Indian writer Vivek Shanbhag, a close-knit family is delivered from near-destitution to sudden wealth after a miraculous change in fortune. As the narrator, along with his sister, his parents, and his uncle move from a cramped shack to a larger house and encounter new-found wealth, the family dynamics begin to shift. 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 great Indian novel." --The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice) "A classic tale of wealth and moral ruin." --The New Yorker "Ghachar Ghochar introduces us to a master." --The Paris Review A young man's close-knit family is nearly destitute when his uncle founds a successful spice company, changing their fortunes overnight. As they move from a cramped, ant-infested shack to a larger house on the other side of Bangalore, and try to adjust to a new way of life, the family dynamic begins to shift. Allegiances realign; marriages are arranged and begin to falter; and conflict brews ominously in the background. Things become "ghachar ghochar"--a nonsense phrase uttered by one meaning something tangled beyond repair, a knot that can't be untied. Elegantly written and punctuated by moments of unexpected warmth and humor, Ghachar Ghochar is a quietly enthralling, deeply unsettling novel about the shifting meanings--and consequences--of financial gain in contemporary India. Longlisted for the International Dublin Literary AwardOne of the BBC's "10 Books You Should Read in February"One of Publishers Weekly's "Writers to Watch Spring 2017"One of the NewYorker.com contributors' "Books We Loved in 2016"