Lekhnath Chhetri shows us through brisk, evocative storytelling how personal circumstances sweep individuals into large political movements beyond their control. Anurag Basnet's elegant translation brings to life the hope and heartache of Darjeeling's dreams of a homeland in Gorkhaland. - Manjushree Thapa

Love, magic, envy, fear, jingoism, and violence jostle in this capacious novel, set during an anxious phase in the history of Gorkhaland. A remarkable translation and a book worth cherishing. - Hansda Sowvendra Shekhar

The fury and frenzy of the Gorkha uprising is narrated against the all too human stories of life along the banks of the Rangeet river. Fruits of the Barren Tree invokes the helpless despair, the savage betrayals , and the tender assertions of daily life, that conspire to make a moment in time alive and incandescent. - Namita Gokhale

Lekhnath Chhetri is a journalist from Darjeeling, as well as a poet and social activist. His interests lie in fiction, history and the archiving and documenting of violence, both by and against the state. Phoolange was shortlisted for the Madan Puraskar, Nepal's topmost literary award. He is also a translator, and his last published work was the Nepali translation of The Free Voice by Ravish Kumar.