The Lives of Others

The Lives of Others

Summary

Shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize

Shortlisted for the Costa Novel Award

Winner of the Encore Award

Shortlisted for the DSC Prize for South Asian Literature

Longlisted for the IMPAC Prize


Calcutta, 1967. Unnoticed by his family, Supratik has become dangerously involved in extremist political activism. Compelled by an idealistic desire to change his life and the world around him, all he leaves behind before disappearing is a note.

At home, his family slowly begins to unravel. Poisonous rivalries grow, the once-thriving family business implodes and destructive secrets are unearthed. And all around them the sands are shifting as society fractures, for this is a moment of turbulence, of inevitable and unstoppable change.

‘Deeply moving’ Amitav Ghosh

‘Terrifies and delights’ A S Byatt, Guardian

‘Unforgettable’ Daily Telegraph

Reviews

  • Masterful … His fierce intelligence and sophisticated storytelling combine to produce an unforgettable portrait of one family riven by the forces of history and their own desires.
    Patrick Flanery, Daily Telegraph

About the author

Neel Mukherjee

Neel Mukherjee is the author of two previous novels, A Life Apart (2010), which won the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain Award for best novel, and The Lives of Others (2014), which was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, the Costa Best Novel Award, and won the Encore Prize for best second novel.
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