Showing results for "Homer" in Literature & Fiction

A heartfelt comedy of manners for fans of Seating Arrangements and Crazy Rich Asians, Diksha Basu's debut novel unfolds the story of a family discovering what it means to be nouveau riche in modern India. Hilarious and wise, The Windfall illuminates with warmth and charm the precariousness of social status, the fragility of pride and, above all, the human drive to build and share a home. Even the rich, it turns out, need to belong somewhere.

Ramesh Kumar grew up deprived and unloved, working on his father's tea stall in the Old City of Delhi. Now, brilliant but poor, he makes a lucrative living taking tests for the sons of India's elite. When one of his clients, the sweet but hapless 18-year-old Rudi Saxena, places first in the All Indias, the national university entrance exams, Ramesh sees an unmissable opportunity. Cashing in on Rudi's newfound celebrity, all goes well for both boys for a while. But Rudi's role on a game show leads to unexpected love, blackmail and finally, a dangerous kidnapping.

This book is like a 'handbook of everyday humour'. It is based on observation of funny tendencies in people and then creating fictional caricatures and anecdotes around them. The tendency of beating around the mulberry bush has been converted into a fictional character called 'Simon Satellite'. And yes, there are many more such characters and anecdotes, served With a Pinch of Salt....

“A raucous novel, narrated in deadpan voice-over by Ramesh, a self-described ‘lower lower middle class’ 24-year-old scammer. . . . His perspective is a delight. . . . a tartly entertaining novel, a potential summer blockbuster.” —New York Times Book Review A fresh look at modern-day...