Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Set in New York, London and India, the novel centres on wealthy nineteen-year-old twins, Harriet and Michael Wishwell. They are looking for a purpose in their lives and think they have found it when they become followers of Indian guru Rawul, a would-be world leader who falsely promises a better future for his disciples.

An enticing tale of love, marriage and scandalous escape from duty for a British colonial wife in India in 1923. The story is interwoven with that of her step-grandaughter who, fifty years later, is trying to discover why she is a family taboo. Man Booker Prize Winner.

Taking us from a sweltering Indian rooftop at night to the marble halls of an ageing Bollywood star's palace, this is a collection of short stories from Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.