The House on East Canal Road

Book excerpt: Born into poverty, Kishan Chand Das marries his childhood sweetheart and builds a fortune, but in 1905, when India is firmly in the grip of the Raj, he abandons it all to fight British rule. His young family’s survival is threatened. Willful Leela—his teenage daughter-in-law—and errant son Ishaan, gather the pieces but when the aged patriarch dies from beatings inflicted at a peaceful protest, the family is once again torn apart. Journalist son Adrith leaves home to rouse the nascent Calcutta underground with fiery speeches and joins a revolutionary army. Fearless, outspoken, convent-educated Anita becomes the third generation Chand to continue the freedom fight, but she falls in love with the enemy—handsome Sergeant Ludlow. Can she, her family, and India, survive the hastily drawn line on a map far away, that cleaved houses, loved ones, and neighbors alike—the price of independence? “An evocative, well-imagined portrayal of late-colonial India through one family’s eyes.” — Kirkus Reviews “Raman has an eye for historical detail, like Kishan’s assessment of a train car (“clean symmetrical lines, padded leather seats, side panels adorned with windows...the coach, designed and built by the American Car & Foundry Company...”), and a solid grasp of the real history that shapes the lives of the fictional characters. The writing is strong...the thoughtful exploration of the experience of colonialism makes the story a rewarding read...” — Kirkus Reviews