The Year Of The Runaways: A Novel

"If you think literature is at its best when it combines the political with the personal, this is the perfect book for you. Sunjeev Sahota humanizes harrowing news headlines in the most intimate way; stories about migrant workers and so-called “Untouchables” are carefully captured with painterly details and empathy. The characters — three Indian men and a British-Indian woman they meet as they emigrate from India to England — lodged in my brain and stayed there, months after I put this book down to engage with others that I soon forgot. This book is best for a particular kind of reader who can withstand unrelentingly grim portrayals of the challenges its characters confront. It’s not an easy read, intellectually or emotionally, but it’s an important story about duty and love, beautifully told. Do not expect this author to spoon-feed you. The first page will likely contain words that are not in your vocabulary. My advice, just keep reading …"