Land Where I Flee

by Prajwal Parajuly

Overview

To commemorate Chitralekha Nepauney's Chaurasi - her landmark 84th birthday - three of Chitralekha's grandchildren are travelling to Gangtok, Sikkim, to pay their respects.

Agastaya is flying in from New York. Although a successful oncologist, he is dreading his family's inquisition into why he is not married, and is terrified that the reason for his bachelordom will be discovered. Joining him are Manasa and Bhagwati, travelling from London and Colorado respectively. One the Oxford-educated achiever; the other the disgraced eloper - one moneyed but miserable; the other ostracized but optimistic.

All three harbour the same dual objective: to emerge from the celebrations with their formidable grandmother's blessing and their nerves intact - a goal that will become increasingly difficult thanks to a mischievous maid and a fourth, uninvited guest.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781848665354
Publisher:	Quercus Publishing
Publication date:	11/14/2013
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	562,608
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Prajwal Parajuly - the son of an Indian father and a Nepalese mother - divides his time between New York and Oxford, but disappears to Gangtok, his hometown in the Indian Himalayas, at every opportunity. Land Where I Flee is his first novel.
Prajwal Parajuly - the son of an Indian father and a Nepalese mother - divides his time between New York and Oxford, England, but disappears to Gangtok, his hometown in the Indian Himalayas, at every opportunity. Parts of The Gurkha's Daughter: Stories were written while he was a writer-in-residence at Truman State University, in Kirksville, Missouri.

Editorial Reviews

"Parajuly's deft portrayal of his characters' relationships—both with each other and with their old and new homes—is original and convincing . . . a sharp depiction of the social and economic problems besetting this little-known part of the world . . . Illuminating and compelling, The Land Where I Flee is a potent mixture of national and familial politics."—Emily Rhodes, The Spectator

"Family reunion is an old writer's recipe but Parajuly successfully provides some fresh zing here. Concocting a pleasantly unsentimental plot peppered with zany characters, he draws a blend of humor and surprising sensitivity. Written in a simple, unaffected voice, this narrative of a grandmother and her estranged grandchildren is ultimately an affectionate ode to tough love."—Aayush Niroula, Asian Review of Books

"[Parajuly] writes finely crafted prose in which local expressions and ideas constantly jump and weave."—New Statesman

"In clean, precise prose, Mr Parajuly's story unfolds through its finely rendered characters. Tension holds the strands of plot in place, building to a thoroughly satisfying climax. The result is an eminently admirable novel."—Billy O'Callaghan, The Irish Examiner

"Parajuly focuses on the characters, their relationships, frustrations and longings while skillfully interweaving the narrative strands of this family saga into the history, politics and cultural divides of the Nepalese diaspora. Above all, as the title suggests, this book is about the concerns and fears of exodus and homecoming."—Jan Lee, The Oxford Times

"Parajuly does justice to this collection of disparate individuals, as he cross-cuts between points of view, keeping the narrative moving through an artful release of information. He deftly makes them negotiate identities: those from the past, those in the present and those that are emerging."—Sanjay Sipahimalani, The Sunday Guardian

"Excellent . . . spiky humour and deft handling of voice . . . Parajuly describes this awkward family get-together with great narrative economy and a keen sense of comic timing. He also manages to work in some sharp commentary on Gangtok society: the town's mountain roads and treacherously winding staircases come to seem symbolic of its precipitous social hierarchies - to take a wrong step, as Bhagwati does, is to tumble into oblivion."—The Independent


"Parajuly's insights into this culture feel raw and untrammelled, as is the language in which he writes."

—The Guardian

"Land Where I Flee is an intelligent book that explores family, relationships, love and fear . . . it's also a commentary on Sikkim's hierarchical society that best resembles Gangtok's tricky and winding staircases. But above all, this book is about an author who has arrived."—The Daily Star (India)

"Celebrated author Prajwal Parajuly is known for writing colorful fiction stories about Nepali people and his latest release, Land Where I Flee is no exception."—Metro New York

"[Parajuly] has succeeded beautifully in making a very specific story universally relatable."—Kansas City Star

From the Publisher