Kitaab Review: Land Where I Flee by Prajwal Parajuly

Land Where I Flee is a terrific read, says Aashnaa Seth.

A woman osctracised for marrying beneath her caste, a closeted homosexual, a frustrated Oxford graduate taking care of her father-in-law, a fallen writer, a formidable grandmother, a eunuch servant and a white American. Welcome to Prajwal Parajuly’s debut novel Land Where I Flee. Think of it as a Jane Austen novel set in modern day Sikkim, except the characters are the cattiest fictional characters you have come across.

Prajwal Parajuly is a very talented writer. This was obvious from his collection of short stories, The Gurkha’s Daughter. In eight succinct stories, Prajwal gave us an insight into the world of Nepalis in India, Nepal and Bhutan. The book was shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, became a bestseller and was received with critical acclaim. While some stories in The Gurkha’s Daughter like The Cleft and the title story are superior to others, the book was still an accomplished debut and deserved its success.