Secrets

Secrets Synopsis

This brilliant new collection of stories by one of India's best-loved storytellers richly evokes Dehradun of the 1940s; with its quaint cinema halls and crumbling villas; its modest chaat-shops and ubiquitous tongas. But; as young Ruskin-the narrator in these interconnected tales-soon discovers; not all is as it seems in this sleepy town. Behind the tranquil facade; Dehra is home to a cast of colourful characters:

• from plucky old women to possible murderers.'The Canal' is a joyful tribute to adolescent mischief and adult resolve
• in which a group of roguish boys must face the consequences of antagonizing the much-feared Miss Gamla. 'Over the Wall' celebrates the resilience and hard-won dignity of a man ravaged by leprosy as he struggles to come to terms with his malady. The dashing young army captain in 'At Green's Hotel' might be the perfect gentleman-or a murderer. And in 'The Skeleton in the Cupboard'
• an old scandal is revived following a chance discovery
• leading to wholly unexpected results.By turns charming and poignant
• witty and exhilarating
• Secrets is vintage Bond