The Silent Raga - Hardcover

Ameen Merchant

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1553653092 ISBN 13: 9781553653097

Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre, Limited, 2007

Synopsis

At 18, musical prodigy Janaki Venkatakrishnan escapes her father’s plans for an arranged marriage, fleeing her village for the bright lights of Bombay. She leaves behind a gaggle of gossip-mongering old women, but also her younger sister Mallika, who is forced to take care of their increasingly unhinged father. But ten years later, when Janaki announces her return and demands a meeting with Mallika, the buried past is once again excavated. In a span of seven days, memories and misgivings, innocence and wisdom, everyday truths and family secrets are laid bare as the two sisters prepare to face each other, and their childhood experiences, once and for all. Ameen Merchant’s poignant and ambitious debut novel, at once intensely imagined and sensitively nuanced, shines an unsparing light on the complex subject of family obligations and sibling relationships.

About this title

About the Author:

Ameen Merchant was born in Bombay and raised in Madras, India. The Silent Raga is his first novel. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where he is working on his next novel and programming a new Bollywood audio channel called Chowpatty Beach for the CBC.

Review:

"...the kitchens and gardens, steaming streets and overheating bodies feel present to all the senses. ...the richness comes to us always through characters and events.”—The Globe and Mail

About this edition

• Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre, Limited
• Publication date: 2007
• ISBN 10: 1553653092
• ISBN 13: 9781553653097
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 400