Name: Family Life
ISBN: 9789351187165

Akhil Sharma

It is the late 1970s. India has been wrenched by the Emergency. Ajay and Birju are taken by their parents to America so they can have a better life. In New York, their flat is tiny, the students at their school racist. The brothers forge ahead, pushed on by their ambitious parents. But then everything changes. Birju has an accident that leaves him brain-damaged, and the world around Ajay collapses. His father begins to drink, his mother takes to prayer, and it is Ajay who must now bear all the guilty weight of their love.

Family Life

Finally joining their father in America, Ajay and Birju enjoy their new, extraordinary life until tragedy strikes, leaving one brother incapacitated and the other practically orphaned in this strange land.

Astha Prakash

Brilliantly written. This book is neither over the top, nor underwhelming. Every sentence has been measured and thought of, before being put down. I specially loved the way the memories have been described. Open drains running with soapy water; sliding glass doors in their new apartment; brushing teeth on the terrace under the stars in a sink outside the room.

“I would walk along the fence and frequently I cried so hard that I lost my breath. When this happened, I became detached from myself. I walked and gasped and, as I did, I could feel my unhappiness walking beside me, waiting for my breath to return so that it could climb back inside me." 

So beautiful :) Took me 2-3 days to finish this, and left me with a bittersweet aftertaste. Enjoyed it immensely nevertheless.

Family Life

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