"Twenty stories of contemporary Indian life that demonstrate a remarkabel originality The range of Githa Hariharan's writing, executed with a precision of style and magical imagery, is vividly revealed in this striking collection. Sometimes comic (yet tinged with sadness) as in the much-anthologized 'The remains of the Feast' where and old woman near the end of her life suddenly feels the urge to sample all the food she has been forbidden; sometimes with a twist as in 'Gajar Halwa' where Chellamma, a servant girl from the small-town family, finally understands what makes a big city work; sometime moving as in 'The Reprieve', these stories never fail to surprise and delight."