Anita Desai's acclaimed novel captures life in Thul, a small fishing village near Bombay that exists largely untouched by modern times, bound instead by traditional seasonal cycles. When economic hardship strikes the family of siblings Hari and Lila, they face mounting pressures as their father struggles with drink, their mother battles illness, and poverty threatens their survival. Through delicate and incisive storytelling, Desai traces the siblings' journey as they navigate the complexities of growing up amid familial crisis and financial desperation in their remote coastal home.
