et in bustling Karol Bagh, Home is the story of three generations of a traditional sari-selling family, whose business is threatened by an increasing demand for ready-to-wear salwar kameez and jeans. Lala Banwari Lal, patriarch of the family, must cope as his family is faced with problems foreign to his ethos; infertility, female education, as well as the desire for both love and independence.
Home is a masterful novel about the inconstancy and foibles of people, of envy, suspicion, secrecy and acts of kindness and of compromise that lie at the heart of every family. Shimmering with detail, emotional acuity and humour, it is a comment on the lives we lead. With a gently penetrative gaze, it casts a light on the smothering closeness of Indian families and their devastating restrictions.
Following Difficult Daughters and A Married Woman, award winner Manju Kapur brings us this tender, absorbing tale that holds something for each of us.