House of Caravans: A Novel

A debut novel that explores the fractures caused by the Partition of India and the legacy and contemporary parallels of sectarian violence around the world. It follows the story of a family divided by colonialism and sectarianism, moving back and forth from the tumultuous years surrounding Partition to the era of renewed global sectarianism following 9/11.

Format: Hardback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 02 November 2023
Publisher: Milkweed Editions

A mesmerizing debut novel delves into the profound fractures caused by the Partition of India, as well as the enduring legacies and contemporary echoes of sectarian violence across the globe.

Lahore, British India, 1943. As the world reels from the grip of World War, simmering resentment against colonial rule intensifies, giving rise to acts of rebellion. Driven by idealistic visions of an independent India, Chhote Nanu, a young man, agrees to plant a bomb intended for the British superintendent of police. Four years later, after enduring a torturous imprisonment, Chhote flees the city as it descends into chaos. Carrying the young son of his murdered wife through scenes of unspeakable bloodshed, he encounters his brother, Barre Nanu, caught between a vanishing past in the newly formed nation of Pakistan and an uncertain future in India.

Kanpur, India, 2002. Following the passing of his grandfather, Barre Nanu, Karan Khati returns from New York to reunite with his sister in their childhood home, which has been transformed by the embittered Chhote Nanu into a hostel for Hindu pilgrims. When their mother arrives from Delhi, Karan and Ila discover that their fathers were two distinct individuals—one Hindu, one Muslim—their relationships doomed by familial bias and prejudice. Determined to reconnect and unravel the intricate twists and turns in their family's history, the siblings embark on a journey that spans from the tumultuous years surrounding Partition to the era of renewed global sectarianism following 9/11.

"House of Caravans" is an extraordinary historical novel, hailed as "Tolstoyan in its scope" (Ha Jin). It vividly portrays a family and a nation torn apart by the living legacy of colonialism. With its rich evocative prose and timely relevance, this novel will endure in the same manner as the finest works of literature.

Dimension: 228 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781639550142