From Rumer Godden, the acclaimed author of Black Narcissus returns again to her beloved India with a novel brimming with heart, wit, unforgettable characters, and ‘a sense of timelessness reminiscent of E. M. Forster’ (The Times).
Hotel owner Auntie Sanni has entertained all manner of guests during her many years as hostess at Patna Hall, a popular vacation spot on the lush Coromandel coast. Now, with an election coming, business is especially brisk, and her hotel is packed with Indian politicians, British diplomats, journalists, American tourists – even an elephant, and a woman of mystery or two.
Among the vacationers are Mary and Blaise, a young English couple on their honeymoon. But where Mary is enchanted by the colours, sounds and vibrant Indian life, prim and priggish Blaise sees only squalor, sordidness and a Coromandel Sea teeming with sharks.
Matters are only made worse when Mary becomes interested in local Indian politics – particularly the handsome, exquisitely spoken candidate Krishnan, whose kindness and wisdom are like a balm for her spirit . . .
