The City of Good Death: A Novel

"For devout Hindus, a “good death” frees the soul from endless reincarnation cycles and allows eternal liberation, or moksha. People travel to the ancient city of Kashi (also known as Varanasi) to spend their last days at retreats designed to help them achieve this through ritual and prayer. In her award-winning debut, Priyanka Champaneri examines this kind of “good death” through stories crammed within stories. Characters share folklore, myth, reminiscences or dreams, and all of these deeply alter their existence and relationships. Making full use of the mysticism and magnetism of Kashi, Champaneri’s precise and evocative prose immerses us in a city teeming with as much life as death."