Ishq and Mushq - Softcover

Basil Priya

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0552774790 ISBN 13: 9780552774796

Publisher: BLACK SWAN, 2008

Synopsis

‘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.

About this title

Review:

A brilliantly woven tale...clever and often funny. -- Candis Magazine

An enticing debut by a much-vaunted young novelist. -- The Glasgow Herald

With a verve for the colour of life...this book surprises with its underlying wisdom. -- Good Housekeeping

From the Publisher:

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.

About this edition

• Publisher: BLACK SWAN
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0552774790
• ISBN 13: 9780552774796
• Binding: Paperback