The Penguin Podcast is back! Listen Now
The Things That We Lost

The Things That We Lost

Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

*** WINNER OF THE 2021 #MERKY BOOKS NEW WRITERS' PRIZE***

Nik has lots of questions about his late father but knows better than to ask his mother, Avani. It's their unspoken rule.

When his grandfather dies, Nik has the opportunity to learn about the man he never met. Armed with a key and new knowledge about his parents' past, Nik sets out to unlock the secrets that his mother has been holding onto his whole life.

As the carefully crafted portrait Avani has painted for her son begins to crack, and painful truths emerge, can the two of them find their way back to each other?

The Things That We Lost is a beautifully tender exploration of family, loss and the lengths to which we go to protect the ones we love.

It is the first work of fiction by Jyoti Patel, winner of the 2021 #Merky Books New Writers' Prize, and one of the most exciting new novelists to watch.

© 2023 Jyoti Patel (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Reviews

  • An assured debut from a vital new voice. About family, grief and belonging, Patel weaves an intricate story that will stay with you.
    Nikesh Shukla, author of Brown Baby and The Good Immigrant

About the author

Jyoti Patel

Jyoti Patel was born in Paris to British Indian parents and grew up in North West London. She is a graduate of the University of East Anglia's Prose Fiction MA and winner of the 2021 #Merky Books New Writers' Prize. Her writing has previously been published as part of We Present's 'Literally' series and in the anthology for the 2022 Bristol Short Story Prize, for which she was shortlisted. Her debut novel, The Things That We Lost, was praised as one of the Observer’s 10 Best New Novels for 2023 and listed as a finalist for the Eastern Eye Arts Culture and Theatre Awards 2024.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more