‘A remarkable debut, bravely tackling grand questions of history, love, loyalty and faith’ Ranjana Sengupta, Hindu

‘Poignant and riveting ... Parikh’s writing also contains an element of the fantastical, a revelling in the possibilities of fiction that gives us a dirge layered with pain and ecstasy, and a memorable reminder of how life is made of deep, enduring human connections, asking painfully pertinent questions of politics, identity and the nature of love’ Piya Srinivasan, India Today

‘Prose that melts the heart and a plotline that tugs at every string of it’ Shraddha Kamdar, Femina

‘Love, longing, grit and grief flavour this fable ... fascinating’ Priya Chadha, Tribune

‘A moving debut ... evocative’ Times of India

‘A luminous, hypnotic novel, as much about the beauty of language as it is about the struggles of life’ Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House and Bel Canto

‘A tender, elegant exploration of what it means to love as the world devolves into division and chaos. A wonderful debut’ Prayaag Akbar, author of Leila

Karuna Ezara Parikh is a poet and writer, former television anchor and model known widely for her activism. She studied Journalism, Film & Broadcasting at Cardiff University. Her writing has featured in Vogue, Wire, Outlook, Tehelka, Firstpost, Open and Lonely Planet. In 2015, she co-founded the sustainable company The Burlap People. She lives in Calcutta with her husband and their dog. The Heart Asks Pleasure First is her first book.