A Life Apart - Tapa blanda

A brilliant first novel... shockingly good. (Rose Tremain Daily Telegraph)

The writing... has a sculptured clarity. Assured and fearless... This is subtle, precise writing that penetrates character and motive with astringent humour. (Helen Dunmore The Times)

Incisive and poetic, sensual and intelligent, a novel with great breadth, heart and courage. (Ali Smith)

There are a lot of subtle cultural ironies in Neel Mukherjee's debut novel, which is what makes the book such a delight ... A Life Apart is an elegant and accomplished debut, a novel of many shades. It blends the poignancy of a coming-of-age story with the rawer excitements of an urban thriller laced with sex and violence. (The Sunday Telegraph)

Mukherjee deftly interweaves the worlds of the arms trade, sex workers, fruit pickers and the Daily Mail, while also casting a light on the economic policies of the Raj, communal violence and the fragility of relationships conducted under the glare of history. But he never loses sight of his characters and their emotional upheaval. The growing tension is expertly handled, the ending unsurprising yet completely devastating. (The Guardian)

Rich and nuanced ... Mukherjee is excellent on what motivates people to act the way they do. (Daily Telegraph)

Impressive...Mukherjee writes wryly and wonderfully...deeply engaging and brilliantly observed. (Indpendent)

Ambitious and subtly written. (Sunday Times)

Fascinating. (Woman)

There is a freshness and energy to this debut that hints of greater things to come. (Independent on Sunday)