Rani and Sukh
A Modern Tale of Love and Vengeance
by Bali Rai
In 1960s rural Punjab, Billah Bains and Kulwant Sandhu nurture a forbidden love, but when their relationship is discovered, the Bains family have to face the wrath of Kulwant's father, who is angry at his daughter's lost izzat (honour).
The lovers’ deaths spark a bitter blood feud between the families, which is to have repercussions years later in contemporary Leicester when Sukh Bains and Rani Sandhu fall in love. Sukh’s sister realises that their tragically interlinked past may, almost inexorably, be repeating itself.
Rai’s snappily written dialogue and stream of consciousness style create a vivid, fast-moving take on the Romeo and Juliet story, exploring the experience of young urban British Asians as they negotiate their way through two cultures.
Publisher: Corgi
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Bali Rai
Bali Rai was born in 1971 and raised as a working class Punjabi in Leicester. He grew up in a deprived area of Leicester, a city which is almost unique in terms of cultural mix and his style of writing is firmly grounded in the reality that he has seen around him since he was a child. The senior school he attended was about 80% ethnic - 20% white children in terms of ethnic mix.
Bali Rai has been writing short stories and poetry since the age of eight. As a child he made up wild and exciting stories and his imagination has been vivid ever since. At school he excelled at English language and told his teachers that he would one day be a writer.
He left school with eight GCSE’s and English was always his favourite subject. After school he did three a-levels at a local sixth form - none of which was English Literature, which he now regrets. He went on to graduate from Southbank University in London with a 2:1 in politics and since then he has had various jobs in retail, cinema, and telesales and has kept a keen, almost obsessive, interest in current affairs.
Bali Rai
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What you thought
This book is absolutley fantastic. At first I didn't think I would like it, but as I read more and more, the more the book captured my imagination. I would certainly suggest this book to friends, as it is one of the best books I have ever read. I am currently reading the (Un)Arranged Marriage and I am really enjoying it. Thank you Bali Rai for writing really great books.
