The sari shop - Rupa Bajwa

A heartbreaking debut in the tradition of Rohinton Mistry and Manil Suri.

Ramchand, a young man living in a small, north Indian town, works each day at Sevak Sari House in one of the city's bazaars. Amongst the cottons and Benaras silks he and his fellow shop assistants sit, unrolling yards of coloured fabric for the town's middle class wives and daughters.

When Ramchand peers into the lives of his customers he begins to see himself more clearly, and the limits of his future. But his attempts to change his life will uncover the horrifying cruelties that have been holding it together.

Bajwa combines a rare sensitivity with humour and unflinching honesty as she reveals a world where hope and violence are permanently entwined.