Saraswati Park

The traditional idea of what an Indian novel should be, and whom it should concern, has been rather supplanted over the last few years by a new crop of writers. Concerned more about modernity and the daily experience of life in Mumbai and Dehli, writers like Aravind Adiga and Aatish Taseer have changed the way we look at Indian fiction. Anjali Joseph’s Saraswati Park is part of that new wave – and is an exciting, clever and psychologically astute family saga.

Mohan is a middle-aged letter writer - the last of a dying breed – who makes his meagre living penning letters for villagers, lovers and others that need his special help. This menial job is only enlivened by his love of collecting second-hand books, especially those that have been written in by their original owners. Into this oasis of scholarly calm comes Mohan’s nephew Ashish, a diffident, sexually uncertain 19-year-old who has to repeat his final year in college – an appearance that changes everything.

Saraswati Park is a book about loss and longing, love and regret. The prose sparkles like late afternoon sunshine and the characters hook you from their first introduction. This is a very special novel from a very special new talent.