Melody Razak

Moth (eBook, ePUB)

The powerful story of a family attempting to hold themselves together through the heartbreak of Partition

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

ONE OF THE OBSERVER'S 'TEN DEBUT NOVELISTS' OF 2021

'Powerful and heartbreaking'
Observer

'One of the best debuts I've ever read. It made my heart swell'
Sarah Winman, author of Tin Man and Still Life

'Takes us right to the heart and the heat of Partition-era Delhi. A stunning, powerful work by a brave new voice in British fiction'
Anna Hope, author of Expectation

'Powerful and moving... Every character springs from the page - the writer's skill and sympathy are immense'
Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

'From the first beautiful and terrifying pages I couldn't put Moth down... One of the most immersive reading experiences I can remember: I loved this book'
Sally Magnusson, author of The Sealwoman's Gift

Delhi, 1946

Ma and Bappu are liberal intellectuals teaching at the local university. Their fourteen year-old daughter - precocious, headstrong Alma - is soon to be married: Alma is mostly interested in the wedding shoes and in spinning wild stories for her beloved younger sister Roop, a restless child obsessed with death.

Times are bad for girls in India. The long-awaited independence from British rule is heralding a new era of hope, but also of anger and distrust. Political unrest is brewing, threatening to unravel the rich tapestry of Delhi - a city where different cultures, religions and traditions have co-existed for centuries.

When Partition happens and the British Raj is fractured overnight, this wonderful family is violently torn apart, and its members are forced to find increasingly desperate ways to survive.

But the resilience of the human spirit is an extraordinary thing...

MEET THE FAMILY AT THE HEART OF MOTH:

Alma: the beating heart of the novel. We meet her as a precocious 14-year old who becomes entangled with the chaos of Partition with devastating consequences

Roop: Alma's younger sister. Obsessed with death, she is a fierce, funny and rather wild child trying to make sense of the destruction that has befallen her family

Ma and Bappu: their dream of an independent India collapses under the weight of History. Ma's experience mirrors that of the many Indian women who were hoping for new freedom under an independent India - and had to face more harassment and insecurity instead

And many more: the Muslim nanny, forced to hide in a water tank; the widowed house-keeper whose mission is to keep the family together; the old grandmother, obsessed with the family's honour and determined to preserve it no matter the cost...

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Orion
• Erscheinungstermin: 24. Juni 2021
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9781474619264
• Artikelnr.: 59738703

Autorenporträt

MELODY RAZAK started writing Moth while studying for her MA in creative writing at Birkbeck. Previous to writing, she owned the café treacle&co and more recently worked in the kitchens of Honey and Co. in London as a pastry chef. Melody has been awarded distinctions for her short stories, and has also written articles for the Observer, Food Monthly, and the Sunday Times . Moth is her first novel.

Rezensionen

"A heartbreaking and heartwarming novel that exposes the ugliness of religious enmities and affirms the redemptive beauty of love and homecoming. Razak unflinchingly recreates the horror of Partition and its devastating effect on one family. The result is a novel that feels surprisingly timely and relevant." - Thrity Umrigar, bestselling author of Honor and The Space Between Us

"Powerful and heartbreaking... The book's primary and unflinching focus is the female members of the household: Ma, her daughters Alma and Roop, among others, all drawn with such skill and love that they remain with you long after the final sentence." - Observer

"One of the best debuts I've ever read. It made my heart swell." - Sarah Winman, author of Tin Man and Still Life

"The depth of characterization is remarkable, as is the evocation of place. . .This is a devastating yet vital tale of suffering and strength from an exceptional debut author." - Booklist (starred review)

"I was utterly transported by Moth. In exquisite prose, Melody Razak takes us right to the heart and the heat of Partition-era Delhi - a fracturing city, a fracturing nation and a family attempting to hold themselves together when everything threatens to tear them apart. Moth is a rare, winged delight-able to stare unflinchingly into the darkness, while always illuminated by a fierce love for life. A stunning, powerful work by a brave new voice in British fiction." - Anna Hope, author of Expectation

"Moth is a powerful and moving story of a liberal, Brahmin family caught up in the violence and social unrest of post-partition India. It is written with absolute fidelity to the small rituals of daily life, the allegiances and jealousies within families, and the huge and overwhelming forces of history. Every character springs from the page, involving the reader completely in their triumphs and sufferings - the writer's skill and sympathy are immense. I loved it." - Clare Chambers, author of Small Pleasures

"An exceptional, beautifully written story." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"From the first beautiful and terrifying pages I couldn't put Moth down. . . . One of the most immersive reading experiences I can remember: I loved this book." - Sally Magnusson, author of The Sealwoman's Gift

"Both a heartbreaking and heart-warming story.... Razak hones in on the strength and suffering of women; with moments as small as sharing stories, cooking food and plaiting hair becoming lifelines. Moth has a backdrop of religion, politics, class and violence, but the central focus is on family life. The character portrayal is so intricate that as the plot twists and turns, you'll truly care what happens to them. 9/10" - Independent

"Assured and powerful." - Harper's Bazaar, UK

"An exceptional novel that is historical fiction at its finest." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Gripping. . . . Razak painstakingly paints a portrait of a family; their rituals, their private languages, their shared lives. This careful characterisation pays off, heartbreakingly, when the horrors of partition wreak havoc on small, happy lives." - Times

"Indian political history is effectively played out in this intense, focused debut, with Razak's eloquent writing making historical events seem like they are just taking place now." - Library Journal, starred review

"Unfaltering over 12-plus hours, Nankani ensures another impressive aural experience." - Booklist (audio)

Powerful and heartbreaking... The book's primary and unflinching focus is the female members of the household: Ma, her daughters Alma and Roop, among others, all drawn with such skill and love that they remain with you long after the final sentence. OBSERVER (Ten Debut Novelists of 2021)