‘Nod Ghosh’s compact novella is a blend of the mythic and the real. The two-tailed snake is our elusive and chimeric guide as one girl comes of age during the Partition of India and Pakistan. Through Ghosh’s deft storytelling, Joya’s resilience becomes the resilience of a country‘ —Shobha Rao, author of Girls Burn Brighter

‘An accomplished and deeply imagined story of familial love and separation, set in an India of looming independence and partition. One gains a child’s-eye view of an interwoven society fatally sundering along the fault lines of politics, caste and religion.’ — Mike Fox, author of The Violet Eye

‘Yet again, Ghosh combines her uniquely lush, lyrical prose with a compelling story rich in the political upheaval of twentieth century India. A beautiful tale that evokes the senses and tugs at the heartstrings while propelling the reader forward, until the final, bittersweet ending that left one wanting more, as every good novella should do’ —Eileen Merriman, author of The Silence of Snow