Ghachar Ghochar

By Vivek Shanbhag

Book Overview

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES CRITICS' TOP BOOKS OF 2017
FINALIST FOR THE L.A. TIMES BOOK PRIZE IN FICTION

"A modern classic." --The New York Times Book Review

A young man's close-knit family is nearly destitute when his uncle founds a successful spice company, changing their fortunes overnight. As they move from a cramped, ant-infested shack to a larger house on the other side of Bangalore, and try to adjust to a new way of life, the family dynamic begins to shift. Allegiances realign; marriages are arranged and begin to falter; and conflict brews ominously in the background. Things become "ghachar ghochar"--a nonsense phrase uttered by one meaning something tangled beyond repair, a knot that can't be untied.

Elegantly written and punctuated by moments of unexpected warmth and humor, Ghachar Ghochar is a quietly enthralling, deeply unsettling novel about the shifting meanings--and consequences--of financial gain in contemporary India.

"A classic tale of wealth and moral ruin." --The New Yorker

"Ghachar Ghochar introduces us to a master." --The Paris Review

Named a Best Book of the Year by the Guardian, Globe and Mail, and Publishers Weekly

Longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award
Longlisted for the ALTA National Translation Award in Prose

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014311168X
• ISBN13: 9780143111689
• Release Date: February 2017
• Publisher: Penguin Books
• Length: 128 Pages
• Weight: 0.57 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 4.6" x 7.0"