A Sikh boy is set aflame in the chaotic aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination; a house party rages in Calcutta while the country mourns the fading dream of Rajiv Gandhi; a young Muslim boy contemplates answering the call of militant fundamentalism in the wake of the demolition of the Babri Masjid. But somewhere in the debris of recent history lies a resolute hope. Through this journeys Brandy Ray, wanderer, cynic, journalist-and incurable romantic. As 'New India' delights and disappoints in turn, Brandy grapples with his own life-his deeply passionate and tumultuous relationship with the lovely yet slipping-away Suya, his conflicts with his father, the joy of travels with friends and the trauma of them losing their way. In these three edgy, touching novellas-The Avenue of Kings, The Cradle of Innocents and The Well of Three Wishes-that form interlinked narratives, Sudeep Chakravarti takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride, a journey of aspiration, longing, betrayal... and the sheer joy of being alive. Imbued with wry wit and keen insight, The Avenue of Kings, the long-awaited sequel to Tin Fish, is a brilliant portrait of a country dealing with change.
